Evolution
Since
its use by the US military to raze the Vietnamese forests and
grasslands, Agent Orange has wreaked horrific damage to the Vietnamese
people. Cancers, disabilities and birth defects all bear witness to its
effects. Now a study looking into the effects of dioxins on gene
expression has revealed that even three generations after exposure,
diseases and problems caused by dioxin will be present i
n rats.
Today dioxins are found as industrial by-products, given off by waste
incinerators and other processes. To investigate effects of its
exposure, pregnant rats were administered TCDD, a dioxin component of
Agent Orange. This dose was low for lab rats but higher than humans
would experience in the environment, as well as for a different time
period and method of dose delivery. The team found that subsequent
generations, all the way to the original rats' "great grandchildren",
had problems such as prostate cancer, ovarian diseases and kidney
disease.
The way dioxins do this is by changing which genes are
turned on and off. The DNA sequences are the same, but whether they are
expressed or not changes (the study of inherited changes in gene
expression is called epigenetics). While the findings are not directly
applicable to humans, it demonstrates that the environment of our
ancestors can be responsible for diseases and disorders today.
Photo credit: iStockphoto/Dmitry Oshchepkov
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://
Since
its use by the US military to raze the Vietnamese forests and
grasslands, Agent Orange has wreaked horrific damage to the Vietnamese
people. Cancers, disabilities and birth defects all bear witness to its
effects. Now a study looking into the effects of dioxins on gene
expression has revealed that even three generations after exposure,
diseases and problems caused by dioxin will be present i
n rats.
Today dioxins are found as industrial by-products, given off by waste incinerators and other processes. To investigate effects of its exposure, pregnant rats were administered TCDD, a dioxin component of Agent Orange. This dose was low for lab rats but higher than humans would experience in the environment, as well as for a different time period and method of dose delivery. The team found that subsequent generations, all the way to the original rats' "great grandchildren", had problems such as prostate cancer, ovarian diseases and kidney disease.
The way dioxins do this is by changing which genes are turned on and off. The DNA sequences are the same, but whether they are expressed or not changes (the study of inherited changes in gene expression is called epigenetics). While the findings are not directly applicable to humans, it demonstrates that the environment of our ancestors can be responsible for diseases and disorders today.
Photo credit: iStockphoto/Dmitry Oshchepkov
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://
Today dioxins are found as industrial by-products, given off by waste incinerators and other processes. To investigate effects of its exposure, pregnant rats were administered TCDD, a dioxin component of Agent Orange. This dose was low for lab rats but higher than humans would experience in the environment, as well as for a different time period and method of dose delivery. The team found that subsequent generations, all the way to the original rats' "great grandchildren", had problems such as prostate cancer, ovarian diseases and kidney disease.
The way dioxins do this is by changing which genes are turned on and off. The DNA sequences are the same, but whether they are expressed or not changes (the study of inherited changes in gene expression is called epigenetics). While the findings are not directly applicable to humans, it demonstrates that the environment of our ancestors can be responsible for diseases and disorders today.
Photo credit: iStockphoto/Dmitry Oshchepkov
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
http://
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