The Urban Exposome: Genomic, Epigenomic, and Evolutionary Consequences Across Species
Nuriye Gokce, Izem Olcay Sahin, Štefánia Hrončeková, Kosi Gramatikoff, Hilal Akalin, Satya Prakash, Ed Judge, Dominika Vešelényiová, Martin Koller, Tommaso Beccari, Matteo Bertelli, Oscar Vicente, Lembit Nei, Robert S. Marks, Muhammad Imran, Ratnesh Lal, Annika Joy Meitern, Michel Salzet, Kisung Ko, Michele Maffia, Isabelle Fournier, Lejla Pojskic, Qun Sun, Maria Giulia Lionetto, Irina Nakashidze, Reynir Arngrimsson, Gary Henehan, Serghei Sprincean, Dijana Plaseska-Karanfilska, Karla Santacruz-Gomez, Dana Tapaloaga, Andreas Janecke, Aysenur Canal, Ivana Marova, Majeti Narasimha Vara Prasad, Ariola Bacu, Alexander Kilchevsky, Anita Slavica, Jose Carlos Lorenzo Feijoo, Andrés Izquierdo Romero, Bajram Berisha, Mark Nuijten, Nikolai Zhelev, Mario Petrov Milkov, Svetlana Fotkova Georgieva, Luis Izquierdo Lopez, Juraj Krajcovic, Saharuddin Bin Mohamad, Fideline Tchuenbou-Magaia, Donald Martin, Isabel Belo, Fabrizio Bruschi, A. Baki Yildirim, Recep Eroz, Victor Revin, Anargyros N. Moulas, M. Sait Dundar, Paolo Bartolini, Helal Ragab Moussa, Mohammad Amin Hejazi, Attya Bhatti, Alma Kokhmetova, Viktor Nedovic, Gulsah Candan, Kubra Komurcu, Dilek İscan, Alla Salmina, Munis DundarAbstract
Urban environments bring together air pollution, heat, noise, artificial light, changing dietary habits, and inequalities in access to green space. This narrative review examines how these exposures relate to molecular changes in humans, microbial communities, and wildlife, presenting an interspecies urban genomics framework.
Findings from human studies mainly concern changes in gene regulation, development, and health across the life course. Responses in microbial communities include shifts in composition and horizontal gene transfer. In some wildlife populations, genetic and experimental evidence support heritable adaptation across generations. Oxidative stress, DNA damage, inflammation, circadian disruption, and epigenetic regulation provide recurring mechanistic links, although their roles vary by exposure and species. Because most human studies are observational, the molecular associations identified do not, on their own, establish that a particular exposure causes disease. A better understanding of these relationships requires longitudinal cohorts, intervention studies, representative data from low- and middle-income countries, and coordinated monitoring across species. Urbanization also provides health benefits through sanitation, access to services, and well-designed infrastructure. This framework aims to guide research and help policymakers assess these risks and benefits together. Further validation is needed before molecular biomarkers can be used in clinical practice and urban planning.