There are now compelling human epidemiological and animal experimental data that indicate the risk of developing adult-onset complex diseases and neurological disorders are influenced by persistent epigenetic adaptations in response to prenatal and early postnatal exposures to environmental factors. Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in gene function that occur without a change in the sequence of the DNA. The main components of the epigenetic code are DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs. The epigenetic programs are established as stem cell differentiate during...

The field of neuroendocrinology has extended from the initial interest in the hypothalamic control of pituitary secretion to embrace multiple reciprocal interactions between the central nervous system (CNS) and endocrine systems in the coordination of homeostasis and various physiological responses from adaptation to disease. Most recently, epigenetic mechanisms were recognized for their role in the development of the neuroendocrine axes as well as in the mediation of gene-environment interactions in stress-related psychiatry disorders.

During vertebrate hematopoiesis many specialized cell types are formed with vastly different functions such as B cells, T cells, granulocytes, macrophages, erythrocytes and megakaryocytes.

Offering an overview of current topics and concepts concerning mechanisms and consequences of epigenetic reprogramming, this book addresses biomedical researchers in search of more detailed knowledge of novel mechanisms and methods of study.

The present volume of Epigenetics and Human Health is devoted to the patho-epigenetics of viral and microbial infections, an exiting new field of disease-related epigenetic research.