Abstract
There is a growing interest in understanding the mechanisms that drive the developmental
origins of health and disease, and the role of epigenetic regulation has risen to
the forefront of these studies. In particular, the placenta may be a model organ to
consider as a mediator of the impact of the environment on developmental programming
of children's health, as this organ plays a critical role in directing development
and regulating the fetal environment. Several recent studies have begun to examine
how environmental toxicant exposures can impact the placental epigenome, focusing
on studies of DNA methylation and microRNA expression. This review highlights several
of these studies and emphasizes the potential the placenta may hold on the broader
understanding of the impact of the intrauterine environment on long-term health.
Keywords
placenta - DNA methylation - fetal programming - biomarker - developmental origins
- microRNA
