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. 2016 Dec;5(6):660-664.
doi: 10.3892/br.2016.781. Epub 2016 Oct 18.

Chronic kidney disease in children and the role of epigenetics: Future therapeutic trajectories

Samuel N Uwaezuoke  1 , Henrietta U Okafor  1 , Vivian N Muoneke  1 , Odutola I Odetunde  1 , Chioma L Odimegwu  2
Affiliations

Chronic kidney disease in children and the role of epigenetics: Future therapeutic trajectories

Samuel N Uwaezuoke et al. Biomed Rep. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

Global differences in the observed causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children are well documented and are attributed to dissimilarities in clime, race, hereditary, and ancestry. Thus, familial clustering and disparities in CKD prevalence rates across ethnic and racial groups indicate that the progression of renal disease has a strong genetic component. Mammalian studies have demonstrated a feasible nexus between nutrition and non-genetic exposure (around the time of conception and in epigenetic changes) in the expression of major genes identified in renal organogenesis. The major consequence is a reduction in the number of nephrons, with subsequent predisposition to hypertension and CKD. Identifying these epigenetic changes is crucial (due to their potentially reversible nature), as they may serve as future therapeutic targets to prevent kidney fibrosis and CKD. Despite progress in the field of epigenetics in oncology, research in other subspecialties of medicine is largely experimental with few existing studies regarding the clinical implication of epigenetics in renal disease. Therapeutic trajectories for CKD in children based on the influence of epigenetics may eventually revolutionize the management of this disease. The aim of the current narrative review is to appraise the role of epigenetics in CKD, and highlight the potential future therapeutic pathways.

Keywords: children; chronic kidney disease; epigenetics; therapeutic pathways.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic diagram representing the gene-environment interaction (genetic-epigenetic phenotype) (12). SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism; ncRNA, non-coding RNA.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
CKD phenotype and epigenetics (12). CKD, chronic kidney disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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