TY - JOUR T1 - Basic science: Epigenetic programming and the respiratory system JF - Breathe JO - Breathe SP - 278 LP - 288 DO - 10.1183/20734735.000413 VL - 9 IS - 4 AU - Andrew L. Durham AU - Ian M. Adcock Y1 - 2013/06/01 UR - http://breathe.ersjournals.com/content/9/4/278.abstract N2 - Summary The coordinated regulation of gene expression is crucial for survival, especially in multi-cellular organisms. Gene regulation can occur through a number of different mechanisms, which include the binding of transcription factors to gene promoters and enhancers and to gene repressors. Overlaid upon this is the epigenetic (or “above” genetics) regulation of gene expression. Epigenetics has been implicated in the determination of cell differentiation and the control of gene expression by each cell under different external stimuli. Epigenetic mechanisms include DNA methylation, which is principally involved in gene silencing, and plays a key role in maintaining cellular differentiation. Another layer of epigenetic regulation is DNA packaging into chromatin, which can alter the availability of the DNA, and is controlled by histone modifications. Finally non-coding RNAs can also affect the stability of coding mRNA and its ability to interact with ribosomes and be translated into protein. These epigenetic mechanisms are heritable, and maintained through multiple cell divisions, helping to control cell fate, and can even be passed onto germ cells and future generations. In addition to inheritance epigenetics can be altered by the environment, and factors such as pollution and cigarette smoking have been shown to alter the epigenetic profile of cells. The role of epigenetics in controlling gene expression in complex organs, such as the lungs, is a promising area of research and may help to explain complex inheritance patterns and environmental interactions of many lung diseases including asthma, COPD and lung cancer. ER -