Epigenetic signatures of cigarette smoking

A new study involving almost 16,000 individuals from 16 cohorts, co-authored by researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), shows that cigarette smoking has a broad impact on genome-wide methylation many years after smoking cessation. DNA methylation is one potential mechanism by which tobacco exposure predisposes to adverse health outcomes, such as cancers, osteoporosis, and lung and cardiovascular disorders. The study, published in the American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report, provides new insights into genes affected by smoking, which could improve understanding of smoking-related diseases. These epigenetic alterations could also serve as sensitive and stable markers of lifetime exposure to tobacco smoke.

Epigenetic signatures of cigarette smoking
Joehanes R, Just AC, Marioni RE, Pilling LC, Reynolds LM, Mandaviya PR, et al.Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics Published Online 20 September 2016;
http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCGENETICS.116.001506

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