Environmental Exposure, Epitranscriptomic Perturbations, and Human Diseases

Abstract

Epitranscriptomics is a rapidly evolving field, and it examines how chemical modifications on RNA regulate gene expression. Increasing lines of evidence support that exposure to various environmental agents can change substantially chemical modifications on RNA, thereby perturbing gene expression and contributing to disease development in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms through which environmental exposure impairs RNA modification-associated proteins (“reader”, “writer”, and “eraser” or RWE proteins) and alters the landscape of RNA modifications remain poorly understood. Here, we provide our perspectives on the current knowledge about how environmental exposure alters the epitranscriptome, where we focus on dynamic changes in RNA modifications and their regulatory proteins elicited by exposure to environmental agents. We discuss how these epitranscriptomic alterations may contribute to the development of human diseases, especially neurodegeneration and cancer. We also discuss the potential and technical challenges of harnessing RNA modifications as biomarkers for monitoring environmental exposure. Finally, we emphasize the need to integrate multiomics approaches to decipher the complex interplay between environmental exposure and the epitranscriptome and offer a forward-looking viewpoint on future research priorities that may inform public health interventions and environmental regulations.