DNA methylation and the hygiene hypothesis: connecting respiratory allergy and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Defining Interactions Between the Genome, Epigenome, and the Environment in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Progress and Prospects

Recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have highlighted the complex interplay between the genome, the epigenome, and the environment. Despite the exciting advances in genomics that have enabled the identification of over 200 susceptibility loci, these only account for a small proportion of the disease variance and the estimated heritability in IBD. It is likely that gene-environment (GxE) interactions contribute to "missing heritability" and these may act through epigenetic mechanisms. Several environmental factors, such as the microbiome, nutrition, and tobacco smoking, induce alterations in the epigenome of children and adults, which may impact disease susceptibility. Other mechanisms for GxE interactions are also directly pertinent in early life. We discuss a model in which environmental factors imprint disease risk in a window of susceptibility during infancy that may contribute to later disease onset, whereas other elements of the exposome act later in life and contribute directly to the pathogenesis and course of the disease. Understanding the mechanisms underlying GxE interactions may provide the basis for new therapeutic targets or preventative strategies for IBD.

A phytotherapic blend immunity-6™ inhibits myeloid leukemic cells 2 activation involving purinergic signaling

Leukemia is among the most common types of hematological cancers and the use of herbal medicines to prevent and treat leukemia are under quick development. Among several molecular pathways involved in leukemia pathogenesis and exacerbations, purinergic signaling is revealed as a key component. In the present study, the effects of two doses (5 ug/mL and 10 ug/mL) of Immunity-6™, a phytocomplex composed by beta-glucan, green tea (Camelia sinensis), chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) was tested in vitro, using chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line (K-562; 5 ×104/mL/well), which were challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 1 ug/mL) for 24 h. The results demonstrated that both doses of Immunity-6™ inhibited ATP release (p < 0.001) and P2×7 receptor at mRNA levels expression (p < 0.001). Purinergic inhibition by Immunity-6™ was followed by reduced release of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1beta (p < 0.001) and IL-6 (p < 0.001), while only 5 ug/mL of Immunity-6™ reduced the release of TNF-alpha (p < 0.001). Beyond to inhibit the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, both doses of Immunity-6™ induced the release of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 (p < 0.001), while only the higher dose (10 ug/mL) of Immunity-6™ induced the release of anti-inflammatory IL-1ra (p < 0.05) and klotho (p < 0.001). Thus, Immunity-6™ may be a promising adjuvant in the treatment of leukemia and further clinical trials are guaranteed.

The Hygiene Hypothesis and New Perspectives-Current Challenges Meeting an Old Postulate

During its 30 years history, the Hygiene Hypothesis has shown itself to be adaptable whenever it has been challenged by new scientific developments and this is a still a continuously ongoing process. In this regard, the mini review aims to discuss some selected new developments in relation to their impact on further fine-tuning and expansion of the Hygiene Hypothesis. This will include the role of recently discovered classes of innate and adaptive immune cells that challenges the old Th1/Th2 paradigm, the applicability of the Hygiene Hypothesis to newly identified allergy/asthma phenotypes with diverse underlying pathomechanistic endotypes, and the increasing knowledge derived from epigenetic studies that leads to better understanding of mechanisms involved in the translation of environmental impacts on biological systems. Further, we discuss in brief the expansion of the Hygiene Hypothesis to other disease areas like psychiatric disorders and cancer and conclude that the continuously developing Hygiene Hypothesis may provide a more generalized explanation for health burden in highly industrialized countries also relation to global changes.

Epigenetic studies and pediatric research

The 2020 Annual Review Issue, "Preventing Disease in the 21st Century" was selected by the Editors-in-Chief of Pediatric Research to include a variety of disease entities that confront health-care practitioners entrusted to the care of infants and children. In keeping with this mandate, this article reviews the subject of epigenetics, which impacts pediatric research from bench to bedside. Epigenetic mechanisms exert their effects through the interaction of environment, various susceptibility genes, and immunologic development and include: (1) DNA methylation; (2) posttranslational modifications of histone proteins through acetylation and methylation, and (3) RNA-mediated gene silencing by microRNA (miRNA) regulation. The effects of epigenetics during fetal life and early periods of development are first reviewed together with clinical applications of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in later life. The relationships of epigenetics to the allergic and autoimmune diseases and cancer are next reviewed. A specific focus of the article is directed to the recent recognition that many of these disorders are driven by aberrant immune responses in which immunoregulatory events are often poorly functioning and where through interventive epigenetic measures prevention may be possible by alterations in programming of DNA during fetal and early periods as well as in later life.