Chromatin organization as a mediator of multigenerational metabolic disruption

Recent research indicates that exposure to environmental agents can predispose individuals to metabolic disruptions across generations. It has been proposed that metabolism-disrupting agents, such as chemicals, and dietary stressors can disrupt chromatin organization during early development, thereby biasing the expression of genes that regulate metabolism. Studies in animal models demonstrated that such disruptions can propagate through development and into unexposed generations. Further evidence from exposure models spanning the preconception window of susceptibility and developing germ cells, and in vitro perturbations of early embryonic environments further suggests that altered chromatin establishment immediately after fertilization may underlie these multigenerational effects. Together, these findings identify chromatin organization as a key mechanism linking environmental exposures to inherited susceptibility to metabolic disruption.