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King DE, Lalwani PD, Mercado GP, Dolan EL, Frierson JM, Meyer JN, Murphy SK. The use of race terms in epigenetics research: considerations moving forward. Front Genet 2024; 15:1348855. [PMID: 38356697 PMCID: PMC10864599 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1348855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
The field of environmental epigenetics is uniquely suited to investigate biologic mechanisms that have the potential to link stressors to health disparities. However, it is common practice in basic epigenetic research to treat race as a covariable in large data analyses in a way that can perpetuate harmful biases without providing any biologic insight. In this article, we i) propose that epigenetic researchers open a dialogue about how and why race is employed in study designs and think critically about how this might perpetuate harmful biases; ii) call for interdisciplinary conversation and collaboration between epigeneticists and social scientists to promote the collection of more detailed social metrics, particularly institutional and structural metrics such as levels of discrimination that could improve our understanding of individual health outcomes; iii) encourage the development of standards and practices that promote full transparency about data collection methods, particularly with regard to race; and iv) encourage the field of epigenetics to continue to investigate how social structures contribute to biological health disparities, with a particular focus on the influence that structural racism may have in driving these health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dillon E. King
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Pooja D. Lalwani
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Gilberto Padilla Mercado
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Emma L. Dolan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Johnna M. Frierson
- IDEALS Office, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Joel N. Meyer
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Susan K. Murphy
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
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Kuss SK, Best GT, Etheredge CA, Pruijssers AJ, Frierson JM, Hooper LV, Dermody TS, Pfeiffer JK. Intestinal microbiota promote enteric virus replication and systemic pathogenesis. Science 2011; 334:249-52. [PMID: 21998395 PMCID: PMC3222156 DOI: 10.1126/science.1211057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 435] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Intestinal bacteria aid host health and limit bacterial pathogen colonization. However, the influence of bacteria on enteric viruses is largely unknown. We depleted the intestinal microbiota of mice with antibiotics before inoculation with poliovirus, an enteric virus. Antibiotic-treated mice were less susceptible to poliovirus disease and supported minimal viral replication in the intestine. Exposure to bacteria or their N-acetylglucosamine-containing surface polysaccharides, including lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan, enhanced poliovirus infectivity. We found that poliovirus binds lipopolysaccharide, and exposure of poliovirus to bacteria enhanced host cell association and infection. The pathogenesis of reovirus, an unrelated enteric virus, also was more severe in the presence of intestinal microbes. These results suggest that antibiotic-mediated microbiota depletion diminishes enteric virus infection and that enteric viruses exploit intestinal microbes for replication and transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon K Kuss
- Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
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