Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Nicole Mohajer, Erika M. Joloya, Jeongbin Seo, Toshi Shioda, Bruce Blumberg
Summary: Obesity and metabolic disorders are global pandemics, potentially linked to exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals known as obesogens. Transgenerational inheritance of phenotypic traits and diseases, such as obesity, may be mediated by epigenetic mechanisms, highlighting the complexity of inherited susceptibility to environmental exposures.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Richa Pant, Priyanka Firmal, Vibhuti Kumar Shah, Aftab Alam, Samit Chattopadhyay
Summary: Obesity is a major public health concern characterized by an increase in adipose tissue mass, which can lead to impaired metabolic health and even influence cancer progression. Dysfunction in adipocyte function is influenced by genetics and environmental factors, affecting gene expression and onset of obesity. Understanding the complexities of adipogenesis is crucial for recognizing disease conditions and identifying therapeutic interventions.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Shuai Han, Yi Luo, Bo Liu, Tianyi Guo, Dandan Qin, Feijun Luo
Summary: Epigenetics plays a crucial role in exploring the etiology and treatment of diabetes, and reversing epigenetic alterations may reduce the burden of the disease. Dietary flavonoids as natural epigenetic modulators can serve as biomarkers for diabetes prevention and the development of alternative therapies. Further research is needed to explore the potential anti-diabetic effects of different flavonoids with various epigenetic regulation mechanisms through clinical trials.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Louis Legoff, Shereen Cynthia D'Cruz, Morgane Lebosq, Aurore Gely-Pernot, Katia Bouchekhchoukha, Christine Monfort, Pierre-Yves Kernanec, Sergei Tevosian, Luc Multigner, Fatima Smagulova
Summary: The study investigated the transgenerational effects of chlordecone on murine prostate tissue. Results showed the presence of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia in male offspring exposed to CD, with differential gene expressions in prostates of different generations linked to tumor-related biological processes. CD exposure led to increased expression of Hox genes in the prostate, significant upregulation of genes involved in testosterone synthesis, and epigenetic changes.
ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meenu Ghai, Farzeen Kader
Summary: Epigenetics aims to regulate DNA inheritance, with studies showing transgenerational inheritance in animal models but controversial evidence in humans. Male and female germline development in humans follow separate paths of epigenetic events, with oocytes and sperm possessing unique epigenomes. While DNA methylation alterations are reset during reprogramming, non-coding RNAs in human sperm are reliable carriers for transgenerational inheritance.
BIOCHEMICAL GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Reproductive Biology
Xin-Yuan Li, Jie-Xue Pan, Hong Zhu, Guo-Lian Ding, He-Feng Huang
Summary: In recent years, there has been an increasing recognition of the developmental origins of diseases. It is suggested that many chronic diseases in adulthood, including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and tumors, may develop early on. Germ cells play a crucial role in inheritance, and external influences during their differentiation and development can lead to damage and increase the risk of chronic disease development. This article further explores the concept of gamete and embryo origins of adult diseases, focusing on environmental insults on germ cells.
BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION
(2022)
Review
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Mark T. Mc Auley
Summary: In the last decade, epigenetics has become a central discipline in the field of biogerontology, as age-associated epigenetic changes are linked to various pathologies and epigenetic clocks can correlate biological age with chronological age. Recent empirical observations also suggest that inherited epigenetic effects could influence lifespan/longevity in different organisms. This review critically evaluates these effects from an evolutionary perspective, aiming to integrate the evidence with the main evolutionary theories of ageing.
EXPERIMENTAL GERONTOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chee Kiang Ewe, Oded Rechavi
Summary: It has been shown by experiments that transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, the transmission of acquired responses to environmental factors across multiple generations, is possible. Small RNAs have been identified as key factors in this phenomenon, particularly in Caenorhabditis elegans. The article discusses three major barriers to transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in animals, namely the Weismann barrier, germline epigenetic reprogramming, and somatic epigenetic resetting. While the first two barriers are believed to effectively prevent transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in mammals, they are not as restrictive in C. elegans. The third barrier, somatic epigenetic resetting, is proposed to further inhibit transgenerational epigenetic inheritance and also restricts it in C. elegans.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Fabien Pierron, Guillemine Daffe, Flore Daramy, Debora Heroin, Aurelien Barre, Olivier Bouchez, Christelle Clerendeau, Alicia Romero-Ramirez, Macha Nikolski
Summary: Recent research has shown that environmentally-induced epigenetic changes can affect gene transcription across multiple generations, emphasizing the need to investigate the transgenerational impacts of pollutants for long-term population effects. A study on zebrafish over four generations examined the transgenerational effect of cadmium and found sex-dependent inheritance of DNA methylation changes linked to the estradiol receptor alpha gene. These changes were associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms and contributed to the rapid transgenerational adaptation of fish to cadmium.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Yanghua He, Robert L. Taylor Jr, Hao Bai, Christopher M. Ashwell, Keji Zhao, Yaokun Li, Guirong Sun, Huanmin Zhang, Jiuzhou Song
Summary: This study analyzed genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in chickens and found a strong association between DNA methylation and Marek's disease incidence. It also revealed that DNA methylation plays a vital role in MD tumorigenesis and other immune responses, with specific methylated regions being important modulators of general immunity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jose Maria Costa-Junior, Sandra Mara Ferreira, Mirian Ayumi Kurauti, Diana L. Bernstein, Elena G. Ruano, Vasumathi Kameswaran, Jonathan Schug, Ricardo Freitas-Dias, Claudio C. Zoppi, Antonio C. Boschero, Camila A. M. de Oliveira, Gustavo J. Santos, Everardo M. Carneiro, Klaus H. Kaestner
Summary: Paternal exercise has a positive impact on the metabolic health of offspring, which can be achieved through transgenerational inheritance. The study showed that paternal exercise improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in the offspring, and this effect may be achieved by influencing the epigenetic mechanisms of transgenerational inheritance.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Jana Svorcova
Summary: In recent years, increasing evidence suggests the non-genetic heredity of the effects of separation from parents, life-threatening events, and other traumatising experiences. This heredity is mediated by epigenetic regulations and can be transmitted over generations. The reviewed studies on transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI) and intergenerational studies on trauma or stressful experiences reveal universal changes initiated by stress exposure at various levels of organization. Understanding these processes can help elucidate the evolutionary pathways of diseases and disorders associated with trauma exposure.
Review
Biology
Natalya Frolows, Alyson Ashe
Summary: In recent years, research has shown that in addition to the information encoded in DNA sequences, molecules within the cytoplasm of the gamete play a significant role in heritability. RNA molecules are crucial in transmitting transgenerational responses, while the role of histone modifications in epigenetic inheritance is increasingly recognized.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Melanie Blanc, Philipp Antczak, Xavier Cousin, Christoph Grunau, Nikolai Scherbak, Joelle Ruegg, Steffen H. Keiter
Summary: The study revealed transgenerational neurotoxic effects of permethrin in zebrafish, with possible underlying mechanisms related to stable dysregulation of glutamatergic signaling.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kaichi Yoshizaki, Ryuichi Kimura, Hisato Kobayashi, Shinya Oki, Takako Kikkawa, Lingling Mai, Kohei Koike, Kentaro Mochizuki, Hitoshi Inada, Yasuhisa Matsui, Tomohiro Kono, Noriko Osumi
Summary: Studies have shown that advanced paternal age may lead to hypo-methylation of sperm DNA, which in turn affects neurodevelopmental programs in offspring.