05
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 5, 2026) With increasing research covered by Daily News showing pesticides linked to epigenetic effects (alter gene expression), the mechanism has far-reaching implications for protecting health and the environment. It also raises issues related to the regulatory review process, which is inadequate in assessing this mechanism. Since the discovery of DNA, a principle called the “central dogma” has dominated genetics. This dogma states that genetic processes are a one-way street: only changes to DNA in germ cells (eggs and sperm) trigger processes in RNA and then proteins to effect changes in tissues and cells throughout the body. Any suggestion that environmental exposures, for example, could alter gene expression except in the first, exposed generation, was dismissed as “Lamarckian” and unscientific. And only changes to genes themselves could be inherited. The theory of epigenetics began developing in the 1950s, and it gradually became clear that gene expression was modifiable by external factors. Cells do have numerous ways of choreographing genes, determining which ones are turned on and off at which times and in which places. In fact, this choreography is absolutely necessary for the development of an individual from pre-conception through fertilization and the progress of an embryo to […]
Posted in Agriculture, Cancer, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Epigenetic, Epigenetic Effects, Pesticide Regulation, Reproductive Health, Uncategorized, vinclozolin | No Comments »
07
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 7, 2026) In the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, a study of gestational (during pregnancy) exposure to the neonicotinoid insecticide thiacloprid shows epigenetic effects (alterations in genes without altering underlying DNA) within prostate tissues. To analyze the role of gene expression in subsequent generations after initial thiacloprid exposure, the authors exposed pregnant outbred Swiss mice to the insecticide in order to assess the offspring for multiple generations. As a result, the researchers from the UniversitĂ© de Rennes in France state, “Our study revealed that exposure to thiacloprid induces [cell] proliferation and is associated with epigenetic alterations in the sperm of genes important for prostate development.” Increased cell proliferation in the prostate can cause the development of conditions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN), and lead to prostate cancer. The study also finds elevated levels of specific biomarkers within the prostates of both the first and third generations, including phosphorylated histone H3, a marker crucial for cell division. Hox gene expression in both generations was also impacted, which plays a role in prostate development, based on the altered DNA methylation (abnormal changes) in the sperm of the analyzed mice. “In this study, we […]
Posted in Agriculture, Biodiversity, Biomonitoring, Epigenetic, France, Insecticides, men's health, neonicotinoids, Prostate Cancer, thiacloprid | No Comments »
03
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 3, 2026) Research published in Critical Reviews in Toxicology (CRT) and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) documents the genetic and epigenetic (changes to gene function without altering the DNA sequence) effects to pesticide-exposed groups through early-life exposure and from transgenerational inheritance (passed down through generations). These studies highlight the complex nature of mechanisms of toxicity, as well as the various pesticide exposure routes that begin even prior to conception. The analyses evaluate general and specific pesticide exposure as reported in observational and laboratory research. Through a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on “DNA damage, cytogenetic damage, DNA methylation, or gene expression outcomes associated with prenatal and early childhood pesticide exposure,” the CRT authors link genotoxic mechanisms and epigenetic alterations to adverse health outcomes while the PNAS study shows pesticide-induced epigenetic alterations in mammals across 20 generations that “suggest the maternal and paternal lineages can both induce and inherit epigenetic alterations that influence disease (e.g., kidney, testis, ovary, prostate) incidence, reproductive health (e.g., parturition, infertility), and overall fitness generationally.” As the CRT study states: “One of the main ways pesticides can cause harm is through genotoxicity—their ability to damage genetic material. This damage can […]
Posted in behavioral and cognitive effects, Birth defects, Breast Cancer, Children, Chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, Disease/Health Effects, DNA Damage, Epigenetic Effects, Genotoxicity, Learning Disabilities, Malathion, men's health, Oxidative Stress, Reproductive Health, vinclozolin, Women's Health | No Comments »
