新的研究表明产前遭遇饥荒会把饥荒的痕迹留在后代的基因上，而且可能导致一些遗传变化，这些遗传变化会影响一个人进入中年后的健康。
Bastiaan Heijmans及其同事报告说，在荷兰的“饥饿冬天”——这是由第二次世界大战期间荷兰遭到大约6个月的食品禁运导致的——受孕的儿童遇到了持续的有害健康效应。这组作者发现，在受孕后的头10周遇到饥荒的儿童的类胰岛素生长因子II（IGF-2）基因上附着的甲基比他们的同性兄弟姐妹更少。附着在一个基因上的甲基的数量控制着细胞合成蛋白质的多少，这种控制被称为表观遗传学。在出生前的最后10周遭遇饥荒的儿童在IGF-2甲基化方面没有显示出任何差异，这表明这些变化发生在产前发育的早期。
这组作者说，这些发现证明了从怀孕妇女到她们的未出生子女之间的涓滴效应以及这种早期损伤的时间尺度。这组作者还说，还需要进一步的研究以确定IGF-2的表观遗传学变化是否影响发病率。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
PNAS October 27, 2008, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0806560105
Persistent epigenetic differences associated with prenatal exposure to famine in humans
Bastiaan T. Heijmans,1,2, Elmar W. Tobi,2, Aryeh D. Stein, Hein Putter, Gerard J. Blauw, Ezra S. Susser,f, P. Eline Slagboom, and L. H. Lumey,1
Abstract
Extensive epidemiologic studies have suggested that adult disease risk is associated with adverse environmental conditions early in development. Although the mechanisms behind these relationships are unclear, an involvement of epigenetic dysregulation has been hypothesized. Here we show that individuals who were prenatally exposed to famine during the Dutch Hunger Winter in 1944–45 had, 6 decades later, less DNA methylation of the imprinted IGF2 gene compared with their unexposed, same-sex siblings. The association was specific for periconceptional exposure, reinforcing that very early mammalian development is a crucial period for establishing and maintaining epigenetic marks. These data are the first to contribute empirical support for the hypothesis that early-life environmental conditions can cause epigenetic changes in humans that persist throughout life.
