The American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology is soliciting original manuscripts and review articles addressing the physiological outcomes of perturbations of the environment during the fetal and neonatal period. We particularly encourage submissions that address the involvement of epigenetic processes in outcomes that result in, or contribute to disease in adulthood.
The Call for Papers is in recognition of the remarkable advances thathave followed the publication of the hypothesis advanced over 20 years ago by Barker and colleagues on Fetal and Infant Origins of Adult Disease. It is now recognized that maternal stress, diet and reproductive environment as well as various aspects of the neonatal environment ranging from level of maternal care to exposure to pathogens and physical stressors can have long lasting effects on the health, well-being and physiology of the adult. Submissions on the effects of these interventions as well as other aspects of programming are appropriate topics for the Call for Papers. In addition, we particularly encourage original work that explores mechanisms responsible for these changes, as well as the critical periods that are involved. Thus, we are interested in the role of epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation and histone acetylation, and micro RNA modification as possible mechanistic factors in trans- generational phenotype transmission. Interventions that may reverse the programming effects are also suitable topics. The Call of Papers includes studies at levels of analysis ranging from the molecular/genetic to population and translational studies.
The organizing editor for this call for papers will be Dr. Quentin Pittman.
Organizing Editor:Quentin J Pittman: pittman@ucalgary.ca
Note to Authors: All manuscripts should be submitted online via eJournal Press. During the online submission, under the “Keywords, Categories, Special Section” tab, please choose: “Fetal and Neonatal Programming”. In addition , include a note in your cover letter indicating that you are responding to the “Fetal and Neonatal Programming: Epigenetic modification of Phenotype” Call for Papers.
The manuscript will undergo normal peer review. If accepted, the article will be highlighted simultaneously with other papers appearing in response to this announcement, if possible. Submissions will be reviewed as they are received, and will be published online immediately upon acceptance.
Manuscripts can be submitted anytime, but to be eligible for inclusion in this Call for Papers, manuscripts must be submitted by June 30, 2013. If you have questions or already have a manuscript in this area submitted to the American Journal of Physiology- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology and would like to have it included in this series, please contact the Editor-in-Chief, Dr Curt D. Sigmund (phone: 319-384-2857; e-mail: ajp-regulatory@uiowa.edu).