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Phillips D, Noble D. Bubbling beyond the barrier: exosomal RNA as a vehicle for soma-germline communication. J Physiol 2024; 602:2547-2563. [PMID: 37936475 DOI: 10.1113/jp284420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
'Weismann's barrier' has restricted theories of heredity to the transmission of genomic variation for the better part of a century. However, the discovery and elucidation of epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation such as DNA methylation and histone modifications has renewed interest in studies on the inheritance of acquired traits and given them mechanistic plausibility. Although it is now clear that these mechanisms allow many environmentally acquired traits to be transmitted to the offspring, how phenotypic information is communicated from the body to its gametes has remained a mystery. Here, we discuss recent evidence that such communication is mediated by somatic RNAs that travel inside extracellular vesicles to the gametes where they reprogram the offspring epigenome and phenotype. How gametes learn about bodily changes has implications not only for the clinic, but also for evolutionary theory by bringing together intra- and intergenerational mechanisms of phenotypic plasticity and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Phillips
- Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Denis Noble
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Hawkey AB, Natarajan S, Kelly O, Gondal A, Wells C, Jones ML, Rezvani AH, Murphy SK, Levin ED. Persisting neurobehavioral consequences of daily or intermittent paternal cannabis administration in F1 and F2 Rats. Neurotoxicology 2024; 103:27-38. [PMID: 38810733 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2024.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Repeated paternal preconception exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) alone or together with the other constituents in a cannabis extract has been shown in our earlier studies in rats to cause significant neurobehavioral impairment in their offspring. In the current study, we compared the effects of daily cannabis extract (CE) exposure to cannabis on two consecutive days per week, modeling weekend cannabis use in human. The CE contained Δ9-THC as well as cannabidiol and cannabinol. We also extended the investigation of the study to cross-generational effects of grand-paternal cannabis exposure on the F2 generation and included testing the effects of paternal cannabis exposure on responding for opiate self-administration in F1 and F2 generation offspring. We replicated the findings of neurobehavioral impairment in F1 offspring of male rats exposed to cannabis extract containing 4 mg/kg/day of Δ9-THC daily for four weeks prior to mating with drug naïve females. The 4-week cannabis extract exposure caused a significant decrease in weight gain in the male rats exposed daily. In contrast, their offspring showed significantly greater body weights and anogenital distances (AGD) in the third to fourth weeks after birth. The behavioral effects seen in the F1 generation were increased habituation of locomotor activity in the figure-8 maze in female offspring and increased lever pressing for the opiate drug remifentanil in male offspring. The F2 generation showed significantly impaired negative geotaxis and an elimination of the typical sex-difference in locomotor activity, with effects not seen in the F1 generation. This study shows that daily paternal cannabis exposure for four weeks prior to mating causes significant neurobehavioral impairment in the F1 and F2 offspring. Intermittent exposure on two consecutive days per week for four weeks caused comparable neurobehavioral impairment. In sum, there should be concern about paternal as well as maternal exposure to cannabis concerning neurobehavioral development of their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew B Hawkey
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sarabesh Natarajan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Olivia Kelly
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Anas Gondal
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Corinne Wells
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Michelle Louise Jones
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Amir H Rezvani
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Susan K Murphy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Edward D Levin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
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Rice RC, Gil DV, Baratta AM, Frawley RR, Hill SY, Farris SP, Homanics GE. Inter- and transgenerational heritability of preconception chronic stress or alcohol exposure: Translational outcomes in brain and behavior. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 29:100603. [PMID: 38234394 PMCID: PMC10792982 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2023.100603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic stress and alcohol (ethanol) use are highly interrelated and can change an individual's behavior through molecular adaptations that do not change the DNA sequence, but instead change gene expression. A recent wealth of research has found that these nongenomic changes can be transmitted across generations, which could partially account for the "missing heritability" observed in genome-wide association studies of alcohol use disorder and other stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. In this review, we summarize the molecular and behavioral outcomes of nongenomic inheritance of chronic stress and ethanol exposure and the germline mechanisms that could give rise to this heritability. In doing so, we outline the need for further research to: (1) Investigate individual germline mechanisms of paternal, maternal, and biparental nongenomic chronic stress- and ethanol-related inheritance; (2) Synthesize and dissect cross-generational chronic stress and ethanol exposure; (3) Determine cross-generational molecular outcomes of preconception ethanol exposure that contribute to alcohol-related disease risk, using cancer as an example. A detailed understanding of the cross-generational nongenomic effects of stress and/or ethanol will yield novel insight into the impact of ancestral perturbations on disease risk across generations and uncover actionable targets to improve human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C. Rice
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Daniela V. Gil
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Annalisa M. Baratta
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Remy R. Frawley
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Shirley Y. Hill
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Sean P. Farris
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Gregg E. Homanics
- Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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Cui J, Huang N, Fan G, Pan T, Han K, Jiang C, Liu X, Wang F, Ma L, Le Q. Paternal cocaine-seeking motivation defines offspring's vulnerability to addiction by down-regulating GABAergic GABRG3 in the ventral tegmental area. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:107. [PMID: 38388464 PMCID: PMC10884401 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02835-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 02/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological investigations indicate that parental drug abuse experiences significantly influenced the addiction vulnerability of offspring. Studies using animal models have shown that paternal cocaine use and highly motivated drug-seeking behavior are important determinants of offspring addiction susceptibility. However, the key molecules contributing to offspring addiction susceptibility are currently unclear. The motivation for cocaine-seeking behavior in offspring of male rats was compared between those whose fathers self-administered cocaine (SA) and those who were yoked with them and received non-contingent cocaine administrations (Yoke). We found that paternal experience with cocaine-seeking behavior, but not direct cocaine exposure, could lead to increased lever-pressing behavior in male F1 offspring. This effect was observed without significant changes to the dose-response relationship. The transcriptomes of ventral tegmental area (VTA) in offspring were analyzed under both naive state and after self-administration training. Specific transcriptomic changes in response to paternal cocaine-seeking experiences were found, which mainly affected biological processes such as synaptic connections and receptor signaling pathways. Through joint analysis of these candidate genes and parental drug-seeking motivation scores, we found that gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor subunit gamma-3 (Gabrg3) was in the hub position of the drug-seeking motivation-related module network and highly correlated with parental drug-seeking motivation scores. The downregulation of Gabrg3 expression, caused by paternal motivational cocaine-seeking, mainly occurred in GABAergic neurons in the VTA. Furthermore, down-regulating GABAergic Gabrg3 in VTA resulted in an increase in cocaine-seeking behavior in the Yoke F1 group. This down-regulation also reduced transcriptome differences between the Yoke and SA groups, affecting processes related to synaptic formation and neurotransmitter transmission. Taken together, we propose that paternal cocaine-seeking behavior, rather than direct drug exposure, significantly influences offspring addiction susceptibility through the downregulation of Gabrg3 in GABAergic neurons of the VTA, highlighting the importance of understanding specific molecular pathways in the intergenerational inheritance of addiction vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Cui
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Nan Huang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guangyuan Fan
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tao Pan
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kunxiu Han
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Changyou Jiang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai, China
| | - Xing Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai, China
| | - Feifei Wang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai, China
| | - Lan Ma
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai, China.
| | - Qiumin Le
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Department of Neurology, Pharmacology Research Center, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
- Research Unit of Addiction Memory, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021RU009), Shanghai, China.
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Maitin-Shepard M, Werner EF, Feig LA, Chavarro JE, Mumford SL, Wylie B, Rando OJ, Gaskins AJ, Sakkas D, Arora M, Kudesia R, Lujan ME, Braun J, Mozaffarian D. Food, nutrition, and fertility: from soil to fork. Am J Clin Nutr 2024; 119:578-589. [PMID: 38101699 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Food and nutrition-related factors, including foods and nutrients consumed, dietary patterns, use of dietary supplements, adiposity, and exposure to food-related environmental contaminants, have the potential to impact semen quality and male and female fertility; obstetric, fetal, and birth outcomes; and the health of future generations, but gaps in evidence remain. On 9 November 2022, Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and the school's Food and Nutrition Innovation Institute hosted a 1-d meeting to explore the evidence and evidence gaps regarding the relationships between food, nutrition, and fertility. Topics addressed included male fertility, female fertility and gestation, and intergenerational effects. This meeting report summarizes the presentations and deliberations from the meeting. Regarding male fertility, a positive association exists with a healthy dietary pattern, with high-quality evidence for semen quality and lower quality evidence for clinical outcomes. Folic acid and zinc supplementation have been found to not impact male fertility. In females, body weight status and other nutrition-related factors are linked to nearly half of all ovulation disorders, a leading cause of female infertility. Females with obesity have worse fertility treatment, pregnancy-related, and birth outcomes. Environmental contaminants found in food, water, or its packaging, including lead, perfluorinated alkyl substances, phthalates, and phenols, adversely impact female reproductive outcomes. Epigenetic research has found that maternal and paternal dietary-related factors can impact outcomes for future generations. Priority evidence gaps identified by meeting participants relate to the effects of nutrition and dietary patterns on fertility, gaps in communication regarding fertility optimization through changes in nutritional and environmental exposures, and interventions impacting germ cell mechanisms through dietary effects. Participants developed research proposals to address the priority evidence gaps. The workshop findings serve as a foundation for future prioritization of scientific research to address evidence gaps related to food, nutrition, and fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erika F Werner
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Larry A Feig
- Department of Developmental, Molecular, and Chemical Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jorge E Chavarro
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sunni L Mumford
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Blair Wylie
- Collaborative for Women's Environmental Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Oliver J Rando
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biotechnology, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Audrey J Gaskins
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | | | - Manish Arora
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | | | - Marla E Lujan
- Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Joseph Braun
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Dariush Mozaffarian
- Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States; Food is Medicine Institute, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States.
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Crisóstomo L, Oliveira PF, Alves MG. A systematic scientometric review of paternal inheritance of acquired metabolic traits. BMC Biol 2023; 21:255. [PMID: 37953286 PMCID: PMC10641967 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01744-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The concept of the inheritance of acquired traits, a foundational principle of Lamarck's evolutionary theory, has garnered renewed attention in recent years. Evidence for this phenomenon remained limited for decades but gained prominence with the Överkalix cohort study in 2002. This study revealed a link between cardiovascular disease incidence and the food availability experienced by individuals' grandparents during their slow growth periods, reigniting interest in the inheritance of acquired traits, particularly in the context of non-communicable diseases. This scientometric analysis and systematic review comprehensively explores the current landscape of paternally transmitted acquired metabolic traits. RESULTS Utilizing Scopus Advanced search and meticulous screening, we included mammalian studies that document the inheritance or modification of metabolic traits in subsequent generations of unexposed descendants. Our inclusive criteria encompass intergenerational and transgenerational studies, as well as multigenerational exposures. Predominantly, this field has been driven by a select group of researchers, potentially shaping the design and focus of existing studies. Consequently, the literature primarily comprises transgenerational rodent investigations into the effects of ancestral exposure to environmental pollutants on sperm DNA methylation. The complexity and volume of data often lead to multiple or redundant publications. This practice, while understandable, may obscure the true extent of the impact of ancestral exposures on the health of non-exposed descendants. In addition to DNA methylation, studies have illuminated the role of sperm RNAs and histone marks in paternally acquired metabolic disorders, expanding our understanding of the mechanisms underlying epigenetic inheritance. CONCLUSIONS This review serves as a comprehensive resource, shedding light on the current state of research in this critical area of science, and underscores the need for continued exploration to uncover the full spectrum of paternally mediated metabolic inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luís Crisóstomo
- Departmento de Anatomia, UMIB - Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade Do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal
- Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- MediCity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Pedro F Oliveira
- LAQV-REQUIMTE and Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Marco G Alves
- Departmento de Anatomia, UMIB - Unidade Multidisciplinar de Investigação Biomédica, ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade Do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.
- Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
- Biotechnology of Animal and Human Reproduction (TechnoSperm), Institute of Food and Agricultural Technology, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.
- Unit of Cell Biology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Girona, Girona, Spain.
- Institute of Biomedicine - iBiMED and Department of Medical Sciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal.
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Rimawi I, Yanai S, Turgeman G, Yanai J. Whole transcriptome analysis in offspring whose fathers were exposed to a developmental insult: a novel avian model. Sci Rep 2023; 13:16499. [PMID: 37779136 PMCID: PMC10543553 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43593-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the effects of paternal exposure to insults on the offspring received limited attention in the past, it is currently gaining interest especially after understanding the mechanisms which may mediate such exposure effects. In the current study, the well-controlled avian model (Fayoumi) was utilized to investigate the effects of paternal exposure to the developmental insult, chlorpyrifos on the offspring's gene expression via mRNA and small RNA sequencing. Numerous mRNA gene expression changes were detected in the offspring after paternal exposure to the developmental insult, especially in genes related to neurogenesis, learning and memory. qPCR analysis of several genes, that were significantly changed in mRNA sequencing, confirmed the results obtained in mRNA sequencing. On the other hand, small RNA sequencing did not identify significant microRNA genes expression changes in the offspring after paternal exposure to the developmental insult. The effects of the paternal exposure were more pronounced in the female offspring compared to the male offspring. The results identified expression alterations in major genes (some of which were pertinent to the functional changes observed in other forms of early developmental exposure) after paternal insult exposure and provided a direction for future studies involving the most affected genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Issam Rimawi
- The Ross Laboratory for Studies in Neural Birth Defects, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research - Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, P.O. Box 12272, 91120, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Sunny Yanai
- Department of Genetics, The Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gadi Turgeman
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
| | - Joseph Yanai
- The Ross Laboratory for Studies in Neural Birth Defects, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research - Israel-Canada, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, P.O. Box 12272, 91120, Jerusalem, Israel.
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
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Jones SK, McCarthy DM, Stanwood GD, Schatschneider C, Bhide PG. Learning and memory deficits produced by aspartame are heritable via the paternal lineage. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14326. [PMID: 37652922 PMCID: PMC10471780 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41213-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental exposures produce heritable traits that can linger in the population for one or two generations. Millions of individuals consume substances such as artificial sweeteners daily that are declared safe by regulatory agencies without evaluation of their potential heritable effects. We show that consumption of aspartame, an FDA-approved artificial sweetener, daily for up to 16-weeks at doses equivalent to only 7-15% of the FDA recommended maximum daily intake value (equivalent to 2-4 small, 8 oz diet soda drinks per day) produces significant spatial learning and memory deficits in mice. Moreover, the cognitive deficits are transmitted to male and female descendants along the paternal lineage suggesting that aspartame's adverse cognitive effects are heritable, and that they are more pervasive than current estimates, which consider effects in the directly exposed individuals only. Traditionally, deleterious environmental exposures of pregnant and nursing women are viewed as risk factors for the health of future generations. Environmental exposures of men are not considered to pose similar risks. Our findings suggest that environmental exposures of men can produce adverse impact on cognitive function in future generations and demonstrate the need for considering heritable effects via the paternal lineage as part of the regulatory evaluations of artificial sweeteners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara K Jones
- Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115, West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Deirdre M McCarthy
- Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115, West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
- Center for Brain Repair, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Gregg D Stanwood
- Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115, West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
- Center for Brain Repair, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Christopher Schatschneider
- Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
- Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
| | - Pradeep G Bhide
- Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, 1115, West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
- Center for Brain Repair, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
- Program in Neuroscience, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA.
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9
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Nieto SJ, Kosten TA. Paternal alcohol exposure attenuates maintenance and reinstated operant responding for alcohol in the offspring of rats. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 47:1494-1504. [PMID: 37353981 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The heritability of alcohol use disorder is close to 50%, yet common genetic variants account for less than 5% of risk. The missing heritability may reflect environmental exposure in the parents prior to conception. Indeed, paternal alcohol exposure has many behavioral and biological consequences for rodent offspring. We recently found that paternal alcohol exposure attenuated the acquisition of operant alcohol self-administration in offspring of rats of both sexes. Here we test whether this effect extends to other phases of operant self-administration thought to model motivation, craving, and relapse. METHODS Wistar male rats exposed to alcohol vapors or air for 6 weeks were mated with alcohol-naïve females 8 weeks later. The adult offspring were trained to lever press for alcohol and tested under several conditions: (1) maintenance responding under a progressive ratio schedule, (2) extinction responding due to removal of the alcohol delivery contingency, (3) reinstatement of extinguished responding in the presence of alcohol-associated cues, and (4) reinitiation of lever press responding for alcohol delivery under fixed and progressive ratio schedules. RESULTS Alcohol-sired offspring showed reduced responding under the progressive ratio schedule and blunted cue-induced reinstatement of extinguished responding. Alcohol-sired offspring also emitted fewer responses during extinction sessions and did not reinitiate responding to the same extent as control-sired rats after alcohol delivery was restored. CONCLUSIONS Across all conditions, paternal alcohol exposure led to a reduction in the reinforcing effects of alcohol in offspring. These results are consistent with studies conducted with paternal cocaine exposure except that here we find effects in rats of both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Nieto
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Therese A Kosten
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
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10
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Parental Preconception and Pre-Hatch Exposure to a Developmental Insult Alters Offspring's Gene Expression and Epigenetic Regulations: An Avian Model. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24055047. [PMID: 36902484 PMCID: PMC10003510 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24055047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Parental exposure to insults was initially considered safe if stopped before conception. In the present investigation, paternal or maternal preconception exposure to the neuroteratogen chlorpyrifos was investigated in a well-controlled avian model (Fayoumi) and compared to pre-hatch exposure focusing on molecular alterations. The investigation included the analysis of several neurogenesis, neurotransmission, epigenetic and microRNA genes. A significant decrease in the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (SLC18A3) expression was detected in the female offspring in the three investigated models: paternal (57.7%, p < 0.05), maternal (36%, p < 0.05) and pre-hatch (35.6%, p < 0.05). Paternal exposure to chlorpyrifos also led to a significant increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression mainly in the female offspring (27.6%, p < 0.005), while its targeting microRNA, miR-10a, was similarly decreased in both female (50.5%, p < 0.05) and male (56%, p < 0.05) offspring. Doublecortin's (DCX) targeting microRNA, miR-29a, was decreased in the offspring after maternal preconception exposure to chlorpyrifos (39.8%, p < 0.05). Finally, pre-hatch exposure to chlorpyrifos led to a significant increase in protein kinase C beta (PKCß; 44.1%, p < 0.05), methyl-CpG-binding domain protein 2 (MBD2; 44%, p < 0.01) and 3 (MBD3; 33%, p < 0.05) genes expression in the offspring. Although extensive studies are required to establish a mechanism-phenotype relationship, it should be noted that the current investigation does not include phenotype assessment in the offspring.
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Toussaint AB, Ellis AS, Bongiovanni AR, Peterson DR, Bavley CC, Karbalaei R, Mayberry HL, Bhakta S, Dressler CC, Imperio CG, Maurer JJ, Schmidt HD, Chen C, Bland K, Liu-Chen LY, Wimmer ME. Paternal morphine exposure enhances morphine self-administration and induces region-specific neural adaptations in reward-related brain regions of male offspring. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.03.522600. [PMID: 36711571 PMCID: PMC9881847 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.03.522600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Background A growing body of preclinical studies report that preconceptional experiences can have a profound and long-lasting impact on adult offspring behavior and physiology. However, less is known about paternal drug exposure and its effects on reward sensitivity in the next generation. Methods Adult male rats self-administered morphine for 65 days; controls received saline. Sires were bred to drug-naïve dams to produce first-generation (F1) offspring. Morphine, cocaine, and nicotine self-administration were measured in adult F1 progeny. Molecular correlates of addiction-like behaviors were measured in reward-related brain regions of drug naïve F1 offspring. Results Male, but not female offspring produced by morphine-exposed sires exhibited dose-dependent increased morphine self-administration and increased motivation to earn morphine infusions under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. This phenotype was drug-specific as self-administration of cocaine, nicotine, and sucrose were not altered by paternal morphine history. The male offspring of morphine-exposed sires also had increased expression of mu-opioid receptors in the ventral tegmental area but not in the nucleus accumbens. Conclusions Paternal morphine exposure increased morphine addiction-like behavioral vulnerability in male but not female progeny. This phenotype is likely driven by long-lasting neural adaptations within the reward neural brain pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andre B Toussaint
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alexandra S Ellis
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Angela R Bongiovanni
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Drew R Peterson
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Charlotte C Bavley
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Reza Karbalaei
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hannah L Mayberry
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Shivam Bhakta
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Carmen C Dressler
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Caesar G Imperio
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - John J Maurer
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Heath D Schmidt
- Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Chongguang Chen
- Center for Substance Abuse Research and Department of Neural Sciences. Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Kathryn Bland
- Center for Substance Abuse Research and Department of Neural Sciences. Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lee-Yuan Liu-Chen
- Center for Substance Abuse Research and Department of Neural Sciences. Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mathieu E Wimmer
- Department of Psychology, Program in Neuroscience Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Chan SY, Wan CWT, Law TYS, Chan DYL, Fok EKL. The Sperm Small RNA Transcriptome: Implications beyond Reproductive Disorder. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms232415716. [PMID: 36555356 PMCID: PMC9779749 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232415716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Apart from the paternal half of the genetic material, the male gamete carries assorted epigenetic marks for optimal fertilization and the developmental trajectory for the early embryo. Recent works showed dynamic changes in small noncoding RNA (sncRNA) in spermatozoa as they transit through the testicular environment to the epididymal segments. Studies demonstrated the changes to be mediated by epididymosomes during the transit through the adluminal duct in the epididymis, and the changes in sperm sncRNA content stemmed from environmental insults significantly altering the early embryo development and predisposing the offspring to metabolic disorders. Here, we review the current knowledge on the establishment of the sperm sncRNA transcriptome and their role in male-factor infertility, evidence of altered offspring health in response to the paternal life experiences through sperm sncRNA species and, finally, their implications in assisted reproductive technology in terms of epigenetic inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sze Yan Chan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Crystal Wing Tung Wan
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Tin Yu Samuel Law
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - David Yiu Leung Chan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Correspondence: (D.Y.L.C.); (E.K.L.F.)
| | - Ellis Kin Lam Fok
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610017, China
- Correspondence: (D.Y.L.C.); (E.K.L.F.)
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Transgenerational transmission of aspartame-induced anxiety and changes in glutamate-GABA signaling and gene expression in the amygdala. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2213120119. [PMID: 36459641 PMCID: PMC9894161 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2213120119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the effects of aspartame on anxiety-like behavior, neurotransmitter signaling and gene expression in the amygdala, a brain region associated with the regulation of anxiety and fear responses. C57BL/6 mice consumed drinking water containing 0.015% or 0.03% aspartame, a dose equivalent of 8 to 15% of the FDA recommended maximum human daily intake, or plain drinking water. Robust anxiety-like behavior (evaluated using open field test and elevated zero maze) was observed in male and female mice consuming the aspartame-containing water. Diazepam, an allosteric modulator of the GABA-A receptor, alleviated the anxiety-like behavior. RNA sequencing of the amygdala followed by KEGG biological pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes showed glutamatergic and GABAergic synapse pathways as significantly enriched. Quantitative PCR showed upregulation of mRNA for the glutamate NMDA receptor subunit 2D (Grin2d) and metabotropic receptor 4 (Grm4) and downregulation of the GABA-A receptor associated protein (Gabarap) mRNA. Thus, taken together, our diazepam and gene expression data show that aspartame consumption shifted the excitation-inhibition equilibrium in the amygdala toward excitation. Even more strikingly, the anxiety-like behavior, its response to diazepam, and changes in amygdala gene expression were transmitted to male and female offspring in two generations descending from the aspartame-exposed males. Extrapolation of the findings to humans suggests that aspartame consumption at doses below the FDA recommended maximum daily intake may produce neurobehavioral changes in aspartame-consuming individuals and their descendants. Thus, human population at risk of aspartame's potential mental health effects may be larger than current expectations, which only include aspartame-consuming individuals.
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14
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Baratta AM, Mangieri RA, Aziz HC, Lopez MF, Farris SP, Homanics GE. Effect of chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure on RNA content of brain-derived extracellular vesicles. Alcohol 2022; 105:9-24. [PMID: 36055466 PMCID: PMC10173183 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important players in normal biological function and disease pathogenesis. Of the many biomolecules packaged into EVs, coding and noncoding RNA transcripts are of particular interest for their ability to significantly alter cellular and molecular processes. Here we investigate how chronic ethanol exposure impacts EV RNA cargo and the functional outcomes of these changes. Following chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor exposure, EVs were isolated from male and female C57BL/6J mouse brain. Total RNA from EVs was analyzed by lncRNA/mRNA microarray to survey changes in RNA cargo following vapor exposure. Differential expression analysis of microarray data revealed a number of lncRNA and mRNA types differentially expressed in CIE compared to control EVs. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified multiple male and female specific modules related to neuroinflammation, cell death, demyelination, and synapse organization. To functionally test these changes, whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were used to assess synaptic transmission. Incubation of nucleus accumbens brain slices with EVs led to a reduction in spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current amplitude, although no changes in synaptic transmission were observed between control and CIE EV administration. These results indicate that CIE vapor exposure significantly changes the RNA cargo of brain-derived EVs, which have the ability to impact neuronal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa M Baratta
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Regina A Mangieri
- College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Heather C Aziz
- College of Pharmacy, University of Texas at Austin, Texas, United States
| | - Marcelo F Lopez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States
| | - Sean P Farris
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
| | - Gregg E Homanics
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.
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15
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Nieto SJ, Harding MJ, Nielsen DA, Kosten TA. Paternal alcohol exposure has task- and sex-dependent behavioral effect in offspring. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:2191-2202. [PMID: 36281832 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endophenotypes for alcohol use disorder are well known and may reflect paternal exposure effects passed down to offspring via epigenetic mechanisms. Previously, we showed that paternal alcohol exposure prior to conception attenuates the acquisition of operant alcohol self-administration. We now test whether paternal alcohol exposure alters their offsprings' behavioral responses to alcohol (endophenotypes) and global DNA methylation levels in reward-related brain regions. METHODS Adult male rats were exposed to alcohol vapors or air for 6 weeks and mated with alcohol-naïve females 8 weeks later. Adult male and female offspring of the alcohol- and control-sired litters were tested on three behaviors 30 m after gavage with water or alcohol (1.5 g/kg): open field, elevated plus maze, and accelerating rotarod. Global DNA methylation levels in sperm, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex were examined in male sires and in another group of offspring. RESULTS Alcohol-sired males showed less anxiety-like behavior in the elevated plus maze that was not affected by alcohol administration. By contrast, alcohol had anxiolytic effects in the open field in male offspring only with no paternal alcohol effect. Neither paternal alcohol exposure nor alcohol administration altered locomotor activity in either sex. Sex-specific effects of paternal alcohol exposure were seen in the rotarod test. Alcohol-sired male offspring showed blunted sensitivity to the alcohol's motor-impairing effects, whereas alcohol-sired female offspring showed enhanced sensitivity. Global DNA methylation was altered in the sperm of alcohol-exposed males, but no changes were seen in their offspring. CONCLUSIONS Paternal alcohol exposure prior to conception has sex- and task-dependent effects on unconditioned behaviors in their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Nieto
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | | | - Therese A Kosten
- Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
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16
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Hussain S, Lesscher HMD, Day DJ, Ellenbroek BA. Genetics and epigenetics: paternal adolescent ethanol consumption in serotonin transporter knock-out rats and offspring sensitivity to ethanol. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2022; 239:3145-3159. [PMID: 35939082 PMCID: PMC9481507 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-022-06195-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is shown to have an overall heritability of around 50%. One of the genes associated with AUD is SLC6A4 (solute carrier family 6 member A4) which codes for the serotonin transporter (SERT). The study looked at serotonin dysfunction on ethanol consumption in adolescents and the subsequent intergenerational effects of drinking by using a rat model: SERT+/+ (regular functioning), SERT+/- (50% transporter reduction) and SERT-/- (complete reduction). OBJECTIVES We investigated sex and genotype differences in ethanol consumption in SERT knock-out Wistar rats (F0) followed by studying behaviour in the offspring (F1) of the male drinkers to assess effects of paternal alcohol consumption. METHODS An intermittent access two-bottle choice paradigm (IA2BC) was used to yield ethanol drinking behaviour in F0 adolescent Wistar rats. The highest drinking males were mated to alcohol-naive females and their offspring were compared with controls. Drinking behaviour (IA2BC) and ethanol-induced motor coordination effects (via rotarod) were measured in the F1s. RESULTS F0 drinking saw no SERT genotype differences in males. However, females consumed higher volumes of ethanol compared to males, with SERT-/- females showing the highest intake. A clearer genotype effect was seen in the F1 animals, with reduction in SERT activity leading to enhanced ethanol intake in both sexes. Importantly, paternal exposure to ethanol significantly reduced the ethanol induced motor side effects in offspring, independent of sex and genotype. CONCLUSIONS These indicate a difference in the way genetic factors may act across sexes and suggest the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms in the intergenerational effects of alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahir Hussain
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, 6104, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Heidi M D Lesscher
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Utrecht, Yalelaan 2, 3584 CM, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Darren J Day
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, 6104, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Bart A Ellenbroek
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, 6104, Wellington, New Zealand.
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17
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Thomas KN, Zimmel KN, Basel A, Roach AN, Mehta NA, Thomas KR, Dotson LJ, Bedi YS, Golding MC. Paternal alcohol exposures program intergenerational hormetic effects on offspring fetoplacental growth. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:930375. [PMID: 36036017 PMCID: PMC9405020 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.930375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Hormesis refers to graded adaptive responses to harmful environmental stimuli where low-level toxicant exposures stimulate tissue growth and responsiveness while, in contrast, higher-level exposures induce toxicity. Although the intergenerational inheritance of programmed hormetic growth responses is described in plants and insects, researchers have yet to observe this phenomenon in mammals. Using a physiologically relevant mouse model, we demonstrate that chronic preconception paternal alcohol exposures program nonlinear, dose-dependent changes in offspring fetoplacental growth. Our studies identify an inverse j-shaped curve with a threshold of 2.4 g/Kg per day; below this threshold, paternal ethanol exposures induce programmed increases in placental growth, while doses exceeding this point yield comparative decreases in placental growth. In male offspring, higher paternal exposures induce dose-dependent increases in the placental labyrinth layer but do not impact fetal growth. In contrast, the placental hypertrophy induced by low-level paternal ethanol exposures associate with increased offspring crown-rump length, particularly in male offspring. Finally, alterations in placental physiology correlate with disruptions in both mitochondrial-encoded and imprinted gene expression. Understanding the influence of ethanol on the paternally-inherited epigenetic program and downstream hormetic responses in offspring growth may help explain the enormous variation observed in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) phenotypes and incidence.
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18
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Terracina S, Ferraguti G, Tarani L, Messina MP, Lucarelli M, Vitali M, De Persis S, Greco A, Minni A, Polimeni A, Ceccanti M, Petrella C, Fiore M. Transgenerational Abnormalities Induced by Paternal Preconceptual Alcohol Drinking: Findings from Humans and Animal Models. Curr Neuropharmacol 2022; 20:1158-1173. [PMID: 34720083 PMCID: PMC9886817 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x19666211101111430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and lactation is a widespread preventable cause of neurodevelopmental impairment in newborns. While the harmful effects of gestational alcohol use have been well documented, only recently, the role of paternal preconceptual alcohol consumption (PPAC) prior to copulating has drawn specific epigenetic considerations. Data from human and animal models have demonstrated that PPAC may affect sperm function, eliciting oxidative stress. In newborns, PPAC may induce changes in behavior, cognitive functions, and emotional responses. Furthermore, PPAC may elicit neurobiological disruptions, visuospatial impairments, hyperactivity disorders, motor skill disruptions, hearing loss, endocrine, and immune alterations, reduced physical growth, placental disruptions, and metabolic alterations. Neurobiological studies on PPAC have also disclosed changes in brain function and structure by disrupting the growth factors pathways. In particular, as shown in animal model studies, PPAC alters brain nerve growth factor (NGF) and brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) synthesis and release. This review shows that the crucial topic of lifelong disabilities induced by PPAC and/or gestational alcohol drinking is quite challenging at the individual, societal, and familial levels. Since a nontoxic drinking behavior before pregnancy (for both men and women), during pregnancy, and lactation cannot be established, the only suggestion for couples planning pregnancies is to completely avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Terracina
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeItaly
| | - Giampiero Ferraguti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeItaly
| | - Luigi Tarani
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Marco Lucarelli
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Medical Faculty, Sapienza University of Rome, RomeItaly
| | | | | | - Antonio Greco
- Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University Hospital of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Minni
- Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University Hospital of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Polimeni
- Department of Odontostomatological and Maxillofacial Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Mauro Ceccanti
- SITAC, Società Italiana per il Trattamento dell’Alcolismo e le sue Complicanze, Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Petrella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy,Address correspondence to this author at the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy; E-mail:
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Varela RB, Cararo JH, Tye SJ, Carvalho AF, Valvassori SS, Fries GR, Quevedo J. Contributions of epigenetic inheritance to the predisposition of major psychiatric disorders: theoretical framework, evidence, and implications. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104579. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Nieto SJ, Haile CN, Quave CB, Harding MJ, Nielsen DA, Meisch RA, Kosten TA. Paternal alcohol exposure reduces acquisition of operant alcohol self-administration and affects Bdnf DNA methylation in male and female offspring. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13078. [PMID: 34363290 PMCID: PMC8720057 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Familial transmission of alcohol use disorder reflects genetic and environmental factors. Paternal alcohol exposure may affect rodent offspring via epigenetic modifications transmitted through the male germ line. While such exposure alters alcohol sensitivity in mouse offspring, no studies examined if it impacts the development of operant alcohol self-administration in rats. We exposed male (sires) Wistar rats to chronic intermittent ethanol in vapour chambers (16 h/day; 5 days/week) or to air for 6 weeks. Eight weeks later, rats were mated with alcohol-naive females. Adult alcohol- and control-sired F1 offspring were assessed in acquisition of alcohol self-administration in which increasing alcohol concentrations (2.5%, 5% and 10%, v/v) were delivered after one lever press (fixed ratio 1 or FR1). Prior to alcohol sessions, rats were trained to lever press for food delivery under an FR1 schedule of reinforcement. DNA methylation levels of the brain derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) gene were measured in sperm, nucleus accumbens (NAc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in sires and in offspring. Alcohol-exposed sires had lower Bdnf DNA methylation levels in NAc and greater methylation levels in mPFC. Although this pattern was not recapitulated in offspring, alcohol-sired offspring of both sexes did show aberrant Bdnf DNA methylation patterns compared to control-sired offspring. Alcohol-sired offspring self-administered less alcohol (5% and 10%) with no group differences in food responding. Results indicate that paternal alcohol exposure prior to conception protects against alcohol's initial reinforcing effects but the pattern of dysregulated Bdnf methylation in reward-related circuitry did not mimic changes seen in sires.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Nieto
- Department of Psychology and Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Colin N Haile
- Department of Psychology and Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Cana B Quave
- Department of Psychology and Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mark J Harding
- The Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - David A Nielsen
- The Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Richard A Meisch
- Department of Psychology and Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Therese A Kosten
- Department of Psychology and Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
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21
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Thomas KN, Zimmel KN, Roach AN, Basel A, Mehta NA, Bedi YS, Golding MC. Maternal background alters the penetrance of growth phenotypes and sex-specific placental adaptation of offspring sired by alcohol-exposed males. FASEB J 2021; 35:e22035. [PMID: 34748230 PMCID: PMC8713293 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101131r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms of paternal inheritance are an emerging area of interest in our efforts to understand fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. In rodent models examining maternal alcohol exposures, different maternal genetic backgrounds protect or sensitize offspring to alcohol‐induced teratogenesis. However, whether maternal background can mitigate sperm‐inherited alterations in developmental programming and modify the penetrance of growth defects induced by preconception paternal alcohol exposures remains unaddressed. In our previous studies examining pure C57Bl/6J crosses, the offspring of alcohol‐exposed sires exhibited fetal growth restriction, enlarged placentas, and decreased placental efficiency. Here, we find that in contrast to our previous studies, the F1 offspring of alcohol‐exposed C57Bl/6J sires and CD‐1 dams do not exhibit fetal growth restriction, with male fetuses developing smaller placentas and increased placental efficiencies. However, in these hybrid offspring, preconception paternal alcohol exposure induces sex‐specific changes in placental morphology. Specifically, the female offspring of alcohol‐exposed sires displayed structural changes in the junctional and labyrinth zones, along with increased placental glycogen content. These changes in placental organization are accompanied by female‐specific alterations in the expression of imprinted genes Cdkn1c and H19. Although male placentae do not display overt changes in placental histology, using RNA‐sequencing, we identified programmed alterations in genes regulating oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondrial function, and Sirtuin signaling. Collectively, our data reveal that preconception paternal alcohol exposure transmits a stressor to developing offspring, that males and females exhibit distinct patterns of placental adaptation, and that maternal genetic background can modulate the effects of paternal alcohol exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara N Thomas
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Katherine N Zimmel
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Alexis N Roach
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Alison Basel
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Nicole A Mehta
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Yudhishtar S Bedi
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Michael C Golding
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
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22
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Vassoler FM, Wimmer ME. Consequences of Parental Opioid Exposure on Neurophysiology, Behavior, and Health in the Next Generations. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2021; 11:a040436. [PMID: 32601130 PMCID: PMC8485740 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a040436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Substance abuse and the ongoing opioid epidemic represents a large societal burden. This review will consider the long-term impact of opioid exposure on future generations. Prenatal, perinatal, and preconception exposure are reviewed with discussion of both maternal and paternal influences. Opioid exposure can have long-lasting effects on reproductive function, gametogenesis, and germline epigenetic programming, which can influence embryogenesis and alter the developmental trajectory of progeny. The potential mechanisms by which preconception maternal and paternal opioid exposure produce deleterious consequences on the health, behavior, and physiology of offspring that have been identified by clinical and animal studies will be discussed. The timing, nature, dosing, and duration of prenatal opioid exposure combined with other important environmental considerations influence the extent to which these manipulations affect parents and their progeny. Epigenetic inheritance refers to the transmission of environmental insults across generations via mechanisms independent of the DNA sequence. This topic will be further explored in the context of prenatal, perinatal, and preconception opioid exposure for both the maternal and paternal lineage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fair M Vassoler
- Tufts University, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Grafton, Massachusetts 01536, USA
| | - Mathieu E Wimmer
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, USA
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Martynyuk AE, Ju LS, Morey TE. The potential role of stress and sex steroids in heritable effects of sevoflurane. Biol Reprod 2021; 105:735-746. [PMID: 34192761 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioab129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Most surgical procedures require general anesthesia, which is a reversible deep sedation state lacking all perception. The induction of this state is possible because of complex molecular and neuronal network actions of general anesthetics (GAs) and other pharmacological agents. Laboratory and clinical studies indicate that the effects of GAs may not be completely reversible upon anesthesia withdrawal. The long-term neurocognitive effects of GAs, especially when administered at the extremes of ages, are an increasingly recognized health concern and the subject of extensive laboratory and clinical research. Initial studies in rodents suggest that the adverse effects of GAs, whose actions involve enhancement of GABA type A receptor activity (GABAergic GAs), can also extend to future unexposed offspring. Importantly, experimental findings show that GABAergic GAs may induce heritable effects when administered from the early postnatal period to at least young adulthood, covering nearly all age groups that may have children after exposure to anesthesia. More studies are needed to understand when and how the clinical use of GAs in a large and growing population of patients can result in lower resilience to diseases in the even larger population of their unexposed offspring. This minireview is focused on the authors' published results and data in the literature supporting the notion that GABAergic GAs, in particular sevoflurane, may upregulate systemic levels of stress and sex steroids and alter expressions of genes that are essential for the functioning of these steroid systems. The authors hypothesize that stress and sex steroids are involved in the mediation of sex-specific heritable effects of sevoflurane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anatoly E Martynyuk
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.,McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ling-Sha Ju
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Timothy E Morey
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
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Rimawi I, Ornoy A, Yanai J. Paternal and/or maternal preconception-induced neurobehavioral teratogenicity in animal and human models. Brain Res Bull 2021; 174:103-121. [PMID: 34087361 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2021.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal insult exposure effects on the offspring, have and are still considered the main interest of most teratological studies, while paternal and maternal preconception effects have received relatively little interest. Once thought to be a myth, paternal exposure to insults leading to numerous detrimental effects in the offspring, has been confirmed on several occasions and is gaining increased attention. These effects could be demonstrated molecularly, biochemically and/or behaviorally. Different epigenetic mechanisms have been proposed for these effects to occur, including DNA methylation, histone modification and sperm RNA transmission. Paternal insult exposure has been shown to cause several neurobehavioral and developmental defects in the offspring. Findings on parental insult exposure effects on the progeny will be discussed in this review, with the main focus being on neurobehavioral effects after parental preconceptional exposure. The exposure to the insults induced long-lasting, mostly marked, defects. A few pioneering, prevention and reversal studies were published. Interestingly, most studies were conducted on paternal exposure and, at the present state of this field, on animal models. Clinical translation remains the subsequent challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Issam Rimawi
- The Ross Laboratory for Studies in Neural Birth Defects, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research - Israel-Canada and The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Box 12272, 91120, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Asher Ornoy
- Adelson School of Medicine, Ariel University, Israel; Laboratory of Teratology, department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research - Israel-Canada and The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Box 12272, 91120 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Joseph Yanai
- The Ross Laboratory for Studies in Neural Birth Defects, Department of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research - Israel-Canada and The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Box 12272, 91120, Jerusalem, Israel; Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
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The Influence of Cross-Fostering on Alcohol Consumption and Depressive-Like Behaviors in HA and LA Mice: The Role of the Endogenous Opioid System. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11050622. [PMID: 34067974 PMCID: PMC8152237 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11050622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of alcohol dependence and depression is determined by various genetic and environmental factors. In the presented study, we used high analgesia (HA) and low analgesia (LA) mouse lines, characterized by different endogenous opioid system activity and divergent blood–brain barrier permeability, to determine the influence of cross-fostering of these lines raised by surrogate mothers on ethanol consumption and development of depressive-like behaviors. We also investigated ethanol drinking by biological parents or surrogate mothers. Furthermore, we investigated whether these parental changes would alter the effect of naloxone on ethanol intake and depressive-like behaviors in offspring. Our results reveal that cross-fostering of HA and LA raised by surrogate mothers has a greater impact on depressive-like behaviors than ethanol consumption. Ethanol intake by biological parents substantially affected depressive-like behaviors and ethanol consumption in offspring. Moreover, ethanol intake by biological parents or an adoptive mother modified the effect of naloxone on ethanol consumption and preference and depressive-like behaviors in the HA offspring only. Together, these results indicate that cross-fostering differentially affects the effect of naloxone on alcohol consumption and the development of depression.
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Bacon ER, Brinton RD. Epigenetics of the developing and aging brain: Mechanisms that regulate onset and outcomes of brain reorganization. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:503-516. [PMID: 33657435 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Brain development is a life-long process that encompasses several critical periods of transition, during which significant cognitive changes occur. Embryonic development, puberty, and reproductive senescence are all periods of transition that are hypersensitive to environmental factors. Rather than isolated episodes, each transition builds upon the last and is influenced by consequential changes that occur in the transition before it. Epigenetic marks, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, provide mechanisms by which early events can influence development, cognition, and health outcomes. For example, parental environment influences imprinting patterns in gamete cells, which ultimately impacts gene expression in the embryo which may result in hypersensitivity to poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy, raising the risks for cognitive impairment later in life. This review explores how epigenetics induce and regulate critical periods, and also discusses how early environmental interactions prime a system towards a particular health outcome and influence susceptibility to disease or cognitive impairment throughout life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza R Bacon
- Department of Neuroscience, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA; The Center for Precision Medicine, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA
| | - Roberta Diaz Brinton
- Department of Neuroscience, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA; Center for Innovation in Brain Science, School of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA.
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Zhang Z, Zhao Y, Zhang Y, Zhao R, He B. Paternal systemic inflammation induces offspring programming of growth and liver regeneration in association with Igf2 upregulation. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 518:111001. [PMID: 32882328 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.111001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that stress can lead to variations in offspring development. However, whether paternal systemic inflammation induces phenotypic changes in the offspring remains unclear. Here, we established an in vivo mouse model of systemic inflammation and investigated the long-term consequences on the offspring. Male, but not female offspring derived from inflammatory fathers (LPS-F1) grew faster than those derived from the control fathers (CON-F1). Moreover, the LPS-F1 males had higher capacity for liver regeneration after injury, as indicated by decreased hepatic fibrosis, apoptosis, and increased hepatocyte proliferation upon carbon tetrachloride challenge. Insulin-like growth factor 2 (Igf2), a key mitogen that drives growth and liver regeneration, was significantly upregulated in the livers of male, but not female offspring from fathers with inflammation. Taken together, paternal inflammation alters the hepatic Igf2 expression and reprograms growth and liver regeneration in male but not female offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhilong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China
| | - Yuting Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China
| | - Yanwen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China
| | - Ruqian Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health & Food Safety, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China
| | - Bin He
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology & Biochemistry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health & Food Safety, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, PR China.
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Spence JP, Lai D, Reiter JL, Cao S, Bell RL, Williams KE, Liang T. Epigenetic changes on rat chromosome 4 contribute to disparate alcohol drinking behavior in alcohol-preferring and -nonpreferring rats. Alcohol 2020; 89:103-112. [PMID: 32798691 PMCID: PMC7722131 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2020.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Paternal alcohol abuse is a well-recognized risk factor for the development of an alcohol use disorder (AUD). In addition to genetic and environmental risk factors, heritable epigenetic factors also have been proposed to play a key role in the development of AUD. However, it is not clear whether epigenetic factors contribute to the genetic inheritance in families affected by AUD. We used reciprocal crosses of the alcohol-preferring (P) and -nonpreferring (NP) rat lines to test whether epigenetic factors also impacted alcohol drinking in up to two generations of offspring. METHODS F1 offspring derived by reciprocal breeding of P and NP rats were tested for differences in alcohol consumption using a free-choice protocol of 10% ethanol, 20% ethanol, and water that were available concurrently. In a separate experiment, an F2 population was tested for alcohol consumption not only due to genetic differences. These rats were generated from inbred P (iP) and iNP rat lines that were reciprocally bred to produce genetically identical F1 offspring that remained alcohol-naïve. Intercrosses of the F1 generation animals produced the F2 generation. Alcohol consumption was then assessed in the F2 generation using a standard two-bottle choice protocol, and was analyzed using genome-wide linkage analysis. Alcohol consumption measures were also analyzed for sex differences. RESULTS Average alcohol consumption was higher in the F1 offspring of P vs. NP sires and in the F2 offspring of F0 iP vs. iNP grandsires. Linkage analyses showed the maximum LOD scores for alcohol consumption in both male and female offspring were on chromosome 4 (Chr 4). The LOD score for both sexes considered together was higher when the grandsire was iP vs. iNP (5.0 vs. 3.35, respectively). Furthermore, the F2 population displayed enhanced alcohol consumption when the P alleles from the F0 sire were present. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that epigenetic and/or non-genetic factors mapping to rat chromosome 4 contribute to a transgenerational paternal effect on alcohol consumption in the P and NP rat model of AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Paul Spence
- Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
| | - Dongbing Lai
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
| | - Jill L Reiter
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
| | - Sha Cao
- Department of Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
| | - Richard L Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
| | - Kent E Williams
- Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States
| | - Tiebing Liang
- Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, United States.
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Rutkowska J, Lagisz M, Bonduriansky R, Nakagawa S. Mapping the past, present and future research landscape of paternal effects. BMC Biol 2020; 18:183. [PMID: 33246472 PMCID: PMC7694421 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00892-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although in all sexually reproducing organisms an individual has a mother and a father, non-genetic inheritance has been predominantly studied in mothers. Paternal effects have been far less frequently studied, until recently. In the last 5 years, research on environmentally induced paternal effects has grown rapidly in the number of publications and diversity of topics. Here, we provide an overview of this field using synthesis of evidence (systematic map) and influence (bibliometric analyses). RESULTS We find that motivations for studies into paternal effects are diverse. For example, from the ecological and evolutionary perspective, paternal effects are of interest as facilitators of response to environmental change and mediators of extended heredity. Medical researchers track how paternal pre-fertilization exposures to factors, such as diet or trauma, influence offspring health. Toxicologists look at the effects of toxins. We compare how these three research guilds design experiments in relation to objects of their studies: fathers, mothers and offspring. We highlight examples of research gaps, which, in turn, lead to future avenues of research. CONCLUSIONS The literature on paternal effects is large and disparate. Our study helps in fostering connections between areas of knowledge that develop in parallel, but which could benefit from the lateral transfer of concepts and methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Rutkowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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Brynildsen JK, Sanchez V, Yohn NL, Carpenter MD, Blendy JA. Sex-specific transgenerational effects of morphine exposure on reward and affective behaviors. Behav Brain Res 2020; 395:112842. [PMID: 32745660 PMCID: PMC8941987 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Current estimates indicate that millions of people in the United States abuse opioid drugs, which may also affect their offspring. To determine whether parental exposure to morphine alters reward and affective behaviors in subsequent generations we exposed male and female C57BL/6NTac mice to morphine (75 mg) or placebo pellets for 4 weeks. Naïve mice were used as mating partners to create subsequent generations (F1 and F2). Adult male and female F1 and F2 mice were tested in the morphine conditioned place preference paradigm (CPP), marble burying (MB), acoustic startle response (ASR), and open field tests (OFT). Paternal morphine exposure resulted in significantly attenuated preference scores amongst F1 male offspring, but significantly higher preference scores amongst F1 female offspring at the lowest CPP dose tested (5 mg/kg). In contrast, maternal exposure to morphine did not affect morphine reward in the F1 generation; however, the F2 male offspring of morphine-exposed F0 females displayed significantly higher CPP preference scores. Preference scores in F2 females were not affected by F0 male or female morphine exposure. Sex-specific alterations in affective behaviors were observed only in the offspring of F0 males exposed to morphine with F1 males spending less time in the center of the open field and F1 females spending more time in the center of the open field. One generation later, affective behaviors were no longer altered in F2 males but F2 females from the F0 male morphine exposure buried more marbles in the MB test. In summary, early exposure to morphine in males and females causes lineage-specific inheritance of reward and affective behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia K Brynildsen
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Victoria Sanchez
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Nicole L Yohn
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Marco D Carpenter
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Julie A Blendy
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Baratta AM, Rathod RS, Plasil SL, Seth A, Homanics GE. Exposure to drugs of abuse induce effects that persist across generations. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2020; 156:217-277. [PMID: 33461664 PMCID: PMC8167819 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Substance use disorders are highly prevalent and continue to be one of the leading causes of disability in the world. Notably, not all people who use addictive drugs develop a substance use disorder. Although substance use disorders are highly heritable, patterns of inheritance cannot be explained purely by Mendelian genetic mechanisms. Vulnerability to developing drug addiction depends on the interplay between genetics and environment. Additionally, evidence from the past decade has pointed to the role of epigenetic inheritance in drug addiction. This emerging field focuses on how environmental perturbations, including exposure to addictive drugs, induce epigenetic modifications that are transmitted to the embryo at fertilization and modify developmental gene expression programs to ultimately impact subsequent generations. This chapter highlights intergenerational and transgenerational phenotypes in offspring following a history of parental drug exposure. Special attention is paid to parental preconception exposure studies of five drugs of abuse (alcohol, cocaine, nicotine, cannabinoids, and opiates) and associated behavioral and physiological outcomes in offspring. The highlighted studies demonstrate that parental exposure to drugs of abuse has enduring effects that persist into subsequent generations. Understanding the contribution of epigenetic inheritance in drug addiction may provide clues for better treatments and therapies for substance use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalisa M Baratta
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Richa S Rathod
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Sonja L Plasil
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Amit Seth
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Gregg E Homanics
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
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Rathod RS, Ferguson C, Seth A, Baratta AM, Plasil SL, Homanics GE. Effects of Paternal Preconception Vapor Alcohol Exposure Paradigms on Behavioral Responses in Offspring. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10090658. [PMID: 32971974 PMCID: PMC7564629 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10090658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
We and others previously reported that paternal preconception chronic ethanol exposure leads to molecular, physiological, and behavioral changes in offspring including reduced ethanol consumption and preference relative to controls. The goal of the present study was to further explore the impact of paternal ethanol exposure on a wide variety of basal and drug-induced behavioral responses in first generation offspring. Adult male mice were exposed to chronic intermittent vapor ethanol or control conditions for 5-6 weeks before being mated with ethanol-naïve females to produce ethanol (E)- and control (C)-sired offspring. E-sired male offspring showed stress hyporesponsivity in a stress-induced hyperthermia assay and E-sired female offspring had reduced binge-like ethanol consumption in a drinking in the dark assay compared to C-sired offspring. E-sired offspring also showed altered sensitivity to a sedative/hypnotic dose of the GABAergic drug midazolam, but not ketamine or ethanol, in a loss of the righting response assay. E-sired offspring did not differ from controls in marble burying, novel object location, novel object recognition, social interaction, bottle-brush, novelty suppressed feeding, prepulse inhibition, every-other-day ethanol drinking, or home cage activity assays. This study adds to a growing body of literature suggesting that like in utero alcohol exposure, paternal preconception alcohol exposure can also have effects that persist and impact behavior of offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richa S. Rathod
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (R.S.R.); (C.F.); (A.S.)
| | - Carolyn Ferguson
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (R.S.R.); (C.F.); (A.S.)
| | - Amit Seth
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (R.S.R.); (C.F.); (A.S.)
| | - Annalisa M. Baratta
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA;
| | - Sonja L. Plasil
- Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA;
| | - Gregg E. Homanics
- Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; (R.S.R.); (C.F.); (A.S.)
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA;
- Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA;
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-412-648-8172
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Rompala GR, Ferguson C, Homanics GE. Coincubation of sperm with epididymal extracellular vesicle preparations from chronic intermittent ethanol-treated mice is sufficient to impart anxiety-like and ethanol-induced behaviors to adult progeny. Alcohol 2020; 87:111-120. [PMID: 32445808 PMCID: PMC7484209 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2020.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
We previously reported that paternal preconception chronic ethanol exposure in mice imparts adult male offspring with reduced ethanol drinking preference and consumption, increased ethanol sensitivity, and attenuated stress responsivity. That same chronic ethanol exposure paradigm was later revealed to affect the sperm epigenome by altering the abundance of several small noncoding RNAs, a mechanism that mediates the intergenerational effects of numerous paternal environmental exposures. Although recent studies have revealed that the unique RNA signature of sperm is shaped during maturation in the epididymis via extracellular vesicles (EVs), formal demonstration that EVs mediate the effects of paternal preconception perturbations is lacking. Therefore, in the current study we tested the hypothesis that epididymal EV preparations are sufficient to induce intergenerational effects of paternal preconception ethanol exposure on offspring. To test this hypothesis, sperm from ethanol-naïve donors were incubated with epididymal EV preparations from chronic ethanol (Ethanol EV-donor) or control-treated (Control EV-donor) mice prior to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer. Progeny were examined for ethanol- and stress-related behaviors in adulthood. Ethanol EV-donors imparted reduced body weight at weaning and imparted modestly increased limited access ethanol intake to male offspring. Ethanol-EV donors also imparted increased basal anxiety-like behavior and reduced sensitivity to ethanol-induced anxiolysis to female offspring. Although Ethanol EV-donor treatment did not recapitulate the ethanol- or stress-related intergenerational effects of paternal ethanol following natural mating, these results demonstrate that coincubation of sperm with epididymal EV preparations is sufficient to impart intergenerational effects of ethanol through the male germline. This mechanism may generalize to the intergenerational effects of a wide variety of paternal preconception perturbations.
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Wan X, He X, Liu Q, Wang X, Ding X, Li H. Frequent and mild scrotal heat stress in mice epigenetically alters glucose metabolism in the male offspring. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2020; 319:E291-E304. [PMID: 32603600 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00038.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have reported that health problems occur in assisted reproductive technology (ART)-conceived offspring. Recently, investigations have demonstrated that paternal environmental conditions influence offspring health. However, it is unclear whether the factors that cause male infertility per se affect offspring health and contribute to health problems in ART-born children. Scrotal heat stress represents a common cause for oligoasthenozoospermia, and in these cases, in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) is typically recommended for those individuals trying to conceive. We exposed C57BL/6J male mice to frequent and mild scrotal heat stress (fmSHS) (39°C for 30 min once weekly for 5 consecutive wk). Sperm was subjected to IVF-ET with oocytes of untreated C57BL/6J females to produce offspring mice. Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance was observed in the male offspring mice derived from fmSHS-exposed fathers. Islets, after evaluation, remained unchanged. Genes involved in glucose metabolism, especially, those in insulin signaling pathways, showed dysregulation in the liver of the fmSHS-derived male offspring. Differentially methylated regions were found in the sperm of fmSHS-exposed mice by whole genome bisulfite sequencing. Interestingly, abnormal methylation of some genes with altered expression in offspring was observed in both the sperm of fmSHS fathers and the liver of their male offspring. Our results suggest that the factors that cause male infertility can affect male offspring health by an epigenetic mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Wan
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaomei He
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian Liu
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaotong Wang
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaofang Ding
- Centre of Reproductive Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Honggang Li
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
- Wuhan Tongji Reproductive Medicine Hospital, Jiangan District, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
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Galan C, Krykbaeva M, Rando OJ. Early life lessons: The lasting effects of germline epigenetic information on organismal development. Mol Metab 2020; 38:100924. [PMID: 31974037 PMCID: PMC7300385 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2019.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 12/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An organism's metabolic phenotype is primarily affected by its genotype, its lifestyle, and the nutritional composition of its food supply. In addition, it is now clear from studies in many different species that ancestral environments can also modulate metabolism in at least one to two generations of offspring. SCOPE OF REVIEW We limit ourselves here to paternal effects in mammals, primarily focusing on studies performed in inbred rodent models. Although hundreds of studies link paternal diets and offspring metabolism, the mechanistic basis by which epigenetic information in sperm programs nutrient handling in the next generation remains mysterious. Our goal in this review is to provide a brief overview of paternal effect paradigms and the germline epigenome. We then pivot to exploring one key mystery in this literature: how do epigenetic changes in sperm, most of which are likely to act transiently in the early embryo, ultimately direct a long-lasting physiological response in offspring? MAJOR CONCLUSIONS Several potential mechanisms exist by which transient epigenetic modifications, such as small RNAs or methylation states erased shortly after fertilization, could be transferred to more durable heritable information. A detailed mechanistic understanding of this process will provide deep insights into early development, and could be of great relevance for human health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Galan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Marina Krykbaeva
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA
| | - Oliver J Rando
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, 01605, USA.
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Cross-Generational THC Exposure Alters Heroin Reinforcement in Adult Male Offspring. Drug Alcohol Depend 2020; 212:107985. [PMID: 32386920 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.107985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An emerging area of preclinical research has investigated whether drug use in parents prior to conception influences drug responsivity in their offspring. The present work sought to further characterize such effects with cannabis by examining whether a parental THC history modified locomotor sensitization to morphine and self-administration of heroin in adult progeny. METHODS Male and female Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to eight injections of 0 or 1.5 mg/kg THC during adolescence and bred with subjects from the same dose group. In Experiment 1, adult male and female offspring (F1-THC and F1-Veh) underwent locomotor sensitization procedures with morphine over five trials followed by a 5-day abstinence period and a final morphine challenge. In Experiment 2, subjects were trained to self-administer heroin and tested under a number of conditions (FR1, FR5, FR10, PR, dose response assessment, extinction, cue- + stress-induced reinstatement). RESULTS Germline THC exposure had no effect on morphine locomotor sensitization. However, F1-THC males displayed a reduced motivation to self-administer heroin relative to F1-Veh males. CONCLUSIONS The present data indicate that parental THC exposure alters the reinforcing properties of heroin in a sex-specific manner. As such, mild to moderate cannabis use during adolescence may alter heroin abuse liability for males in the subsequent generation, but have limited effects on females.
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Impact of nicotine, alcohol, and cocaine exposure on germline integrity and epigenome. Neuropharmacology 2020; 173:108127. [PMID: 32413368 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Converging evidence suggests that parental exposure to drugs of abuse can affect offspring phenotypes. The impacts of drug abuse on germ cell quality may mediate multigenerational and transgenerational inheritance, although biological pathways underlying this mode of inheritance are not yet characterized. Germline epigenetic marks are modified by drug exposure and have emerged as promising mechanistic candidates in recent work. Drug exposure also impacts overall germline integrity and reproductive functioning, although the role of these consequences in multi/transgenerational inheritance is unclear. This review synthesizes literature on effects of exposure to alcohol, cocaine, and nicotine on the germline with a focus on epigenetic modifications following drug exposure and broader impacts on germline integrity and reproductive functioning. We discuss potential interactions between reproductive functioning, germline integrity, and germline epigenome/transcriptome in pathways underlying multi/transgenerational inheritance. We find that existing data may support independent or interactive contributions of these germline impacts on offspring phenotypes in a manner that may mediate multi/transgenerational inheritance.
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Ryan CP, Kuzawa CW. Germline epigenetic inheritance: Challenges and opportunities for linking human paternal experience with offspring biology and health. Evol Anthropol 2020; 29:180-200. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Calen P. Ryan
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
| | - Christopher W. Kuzawa
- Department of AnthropologyNorthwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
- Institute for Policy Research Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA
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Collier AD, Min SS, Campbell SD, Roberts MY, Camidge K, Leibowitz SF. Maternal ethanol consumption before paternal fertilization: Stimulation of hypocretin neurogenesis and ethanol intake in zebrafish offspring. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2020; 96:109728. [PMID: 31394141 PMCID: PMC6815720 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.109728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
There are numerous clinical and pre-clinical studies showing that exposure of the embryo to ethanol markedly affects neuronal development and stimulates alcohol drinking and related behaviors. In rodents and zebrafish, our studies show that embryonic exposure to low-dose ethanol, in addition to increasing voluntary ethanol intake during adolescence, increases the density of hypothalamic hypocretin (hcrt) neurons, a neuropeptide known to regulate reward-related behaviors. The question addressed here in zebrafish is whether maternal ethanol intake before conception also affects neuronal and behavioral development, phenomena suggested by clinical reports but seldom investigated. To determine if preconception maternal ethanol consumption also affects these hcrt neurons and behavior in the offspring, we first standardized a method of measuring voluntary ethanol consumption in AB strain adult and larval zebrafish given gelatin meals containing 10% or 0.1% ethanol, respectively. We found the number of bites of gelatin to be an accurate measure of intake in adults and a strong predictor of blood ethanol levels, and also to be a reliable indicator of intake in larval zebrafish. We then used this feeding paradigm and live imaging to examine the effects of preconception maternal intake of 10% ethanol-gelatin compared to plain-gelatin for 14 days on neuronal development in the offspring. Whereas ethanol consumption by adult female HuC:GFP transgenic zebrafish had no impact on the number of differentiated HuC+ neurons at 28 h post-fertilization (hpf), preconception ethanol consumption by adult female hcrt:EGFP zebrafish significantly increased the number of hcrt neurons in the offspring, an effect observed at 28 hpf and confirmed at 6 and 12 days post-fertilization (dpf). This increase in hcrt neurons was primarily present on the left side of the brain, indicating asymmetry in ethanol's actions, and it was accompanied by behavioral changes in the offspring, including a significant increase in novelty-induced locomotor activity but not thigmotaxis measured at 6 dpf and also in voluntary consumption of 0.1% ethanol-gelatin at 12 dpf. Notably, these measures of ethanol intake and locomotor activity stimulated by preconception ethanol were strongly, positively correlated with the number of hcrt neurons. These findings demonstrate that preconception maternal ethanol consumption affects the brain and behavior of the offspring, producing effects similar to those caused by embryonic ethanol exposure, and they provide further evidence that the ethanol-induced increase in hcrt neurogenesis contributes to the behavioral disturbances caused by ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam D Collier
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Soe S Min
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Samantha D Campbell
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mia Y Roberts
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kaylin Camidge
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah F Leibowitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
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Vassoler FM, Toorie AM, Teceno DN, Walia P, Moore DJ, Patton TD, Byrnes EM. Paternal morphine exposure induces bidirectional effects on cocaine versus opioid self-administration. Neuropharmacology 2020; 162:107852. [PMID: 31726075 PMCID: PMC8274248 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The United States is in the midst of an opioid epidemic and is thus experiencing unprecedented levels of opioid exposure. A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that this may have consequences on multiple generations. The current set of experiments examined the effect of male adolescent opioid exposure on cocaine and opioid self-administration in the F1 generation. Male Sprague Dawley rats were administered increasing doses of morphine (5-25 mg/kg, s.c.) for 10 days during adolescence (P30-39). Rats were then maintained drug free until adulthood (P70-80) at which point they were mated with drug-naïve females. Male and female F1 offspring were first examined for cocaine self-administration during adulthood. Naïve littermates were tested for morphine self-administration acquisition followed by a within subjects design progressive ratio test for morphine, oxycodone, and cocaine. Results show that male and female F1 rats have delayed acquisition and decreased intake of cocaine. In addition, they have blunted PR levels compared to Sal-F1 control rats. Female Mor-F1 rats also demonstrate increased levels of morphine intake during acquisition and increased PR responding for oxycodone. Surprisingly, even following acquisition of morphine self-administration, Mor-F1 males and females still demonstrate blunted effort for cocaine. There were no differences in sucrose self-administration in naïve littermates. MorF0 seminiferous tubules demonstrated increased levels of acetylated histone H3 and there were increased levels of BDNF mRNA in the mPFC in male and female F1 offspring. Together, these data identify systems that are vulnerable to the impact of opioids in the F0 generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fair M Vassoler
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA, USA.
| | - Anika M Toorie
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Delaney N Teceno
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Pankhuri Walia
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Deion J Moore
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Trevor D Patton
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Byrnes
- Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA, USA
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Mustapha TA, Chang RC, Garcia-Rhodes D, Pendleton D, Johnson NM, Golding MC. Gestational exposure to particulate air pollution exacerbates the growth phenotypes induced by preconception paternal alcohol use: a multiplex model of exposure. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2020; 6:dvaa011. [PMID: 33214907 PMCID: PMC7660119 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvaa011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
It is now clear that parental histories of drug use, toxicant exposure, and social stress all have a significant influence on the health and development of the next generation. However, the ability of epigenetic parental life memories to interact with subsequent gestational exposures and cumulatively modify the developmental trajectory of the offspring remains an unexplored perspective in toxicology. Studies from our laboratory have identified male-specific postnatal growth restriction in a mouse model of chronic, preconception paternal alcohol exposure. The goal of the current study was to determine if paternal alcohol use, before conception, could modify the susceptibility of the offspring to a completely separate exposure encountered by the mother during pregnancy. In independent experiments, we previously identified altered developmental programming and increased markers of severe asthma induced by gestational exposure to particulate air pollution. In this study, male mice were exposed to either the control or alcohol preconception treatments, then mated to naive females, which we subsequently exposed to an ultrafine mixture of particulate matter via inhalation. Individually, neither preconception paternal drinking nor gestational exposures to particulate air pollution impacted the postnatal growth of female offspring. However, when both exposures were combined, females displayed a 30% reduction in weight gain. Unexpectedly, this exposure paradigm resulted in a dramatic postnatal increase in litter loss due to maternal cannibalism, which prevented additional measures of offspring health. These preliminary studies provide evidence of a complex interplay between preconception life history and intrauterine environmental factors in the control of postnatal growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toriq A Mustapha
- Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd., 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1266, USA
| | - Richard C Chang
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Texas A&M University 588 Raymond Stotzer Pw, 4466 TAMU, College Station Texas, 77843, USA
| | - Dennis Garcia-Rhodes
- Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd., 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1266, USA
| | - Drew Pendleton
- Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd., 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1266, USA
| | - Natalie M Johnson
- Environmental and Occupational Health, Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd., 1266 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-1266, USA
| | - Michael C Golding
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Texas A&M University 588 Raymond Stotzer Pw, 4466 TAMU, College Station Texas, 77843, USA
- Correspondence address. Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4466 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4466, USA. Tel: +1-979-862-1332; Fax: +1-979-845-6544, E-mail:
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Conner KE, Bottom RT, Huffman KJ. The Impact of Paternal Alcohol Consumption on Offspring Brain and Behavioral Development. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 44:125-140. [PMID: 31746471 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) describe the wide array of long-lasting developmental abnormalities in offspring due to prenatal alcohol (ethanol [EtOH]) exposure via maternal gestational drinking. Although the teratogenic consequences of prenatal EtOH exposure, are apparent, the effects of preconception paternal EtOH exposure (PatEE) are still unclear. Previous research suggests that PatEE can induce molecular changes and abnormal behavior in the offspring. However, it is not known whether PatEE impacts the development of the neocortex and behavior in offspring as demonstrated in maternal consumption models of FASD (J Neurosci, 33, 2013, 18893). METHODS In this study, we utilized a novel mouse model of PatEE where male mice self-administered 25% EtOH for an extended period prior to conception, generating indirect exposure to the offspring through the paternal germline. Following mating, we examined the effects of PatEE on offspring neocortical development at postnatal day (P) 0 and evaluated several aspects of behavior at both P20 and P30 using a battery of behavioral assays. RESULTS PatEE resulted in significant impact on neocortical development, including abnormal patterns of gene expression within the neocortex at P0 and subtle alterations in patterns of intraneocortical connections. Additionally, PatEE mice exhibited a sex-specific increase in activity and sensorimotor integration deficits at P20, and decreased balance, coordination, and short-term motor learning at P30. This suggests that PatEE may generate long-lasting, sex-specific effects on offspring behavior. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that the developmental impact of preconception PatEE is more harmful than previously thought and provide additional insights into the biological mechanisms that may underlie atypical behavior observed in children of alcoholic fathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen E Conner
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California
| | - Riley T Bottom
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California
| | - Kelly J Huffman
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California
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Chang RC, Thomas KN, Bedi YS, Golding MC. Programmed increases in LXRα induced by paternal alcohol use enhance offspring metabolic adaptation to high-fat diet induced obesity. Mol Metab 2019; 30:161-172. [PMID: 31767168 PMCID: PMC6807343 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmet.2019.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Paternally inherited alterations in epigenetic programming are emerging as relevant factors in numerous disease states, including the growth and metabolic defects observed in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. In rodents, chronic paternal alcohol use induces fetal growth restriction, as well as sex-specific alterations in insulin signaling and lipid homeostasis in the offspring. Based on previous studies, we hypothesized that the observed metabolic irregularities are the consequence of paternally inherited alterations liver x receptor (LXR) activity. Methods Male offspring of alcohol-exposed sires were challenged with a high-fat diet and the molecular pathways controlling glucose and lipid homeostasis assayed for LXR-induced alterations. Results Similar to findings in studies employing LXR agonists we found that the male offspring of alcohol-exposed sires display resistance to diet-induced obesity and improved glucose homeostasis when challenged with a high-fat diet. This improved metabolic adaptation is mediated by LXRα trans-repression of inflammatory cytokines, releasing IKKβ inhibition of the insulin signaling pathway. Interestingly, paternally programmed increases in LXRα expression are liver-specific and do not manifest in the pancreas or visceral fat. Conclusions These studies identify LXRα as a key mediator of the long-term metabolic alterations induced by preconception paternal alcohol use. Chronic paternal alcohol use induces up-regulation of LXRα in the male offspring. Male offspring of alcohol-exposed fathers are protected from diet-induced obesity. Paternally-inherited up-regulation of LXRα only manifests in the liver. Improved metabolic adaptation is linked to LXRα suppression of cytokine production. Male offspring exhibit the same phenotypes observed in studies of LXR agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard C Chang
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Kara N Thomas
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Yudhishtar S Bedi
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Michael C Golding
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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Nieto SJ, Kosten TA. Who's your daddy? Behavioral and epigenetic consequences of paternal drug exposure. Int J Dev Neurosci 2019; 78:109-121. [PMID: 31301337 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2019.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Substance use disorders (SUDs) reflect genetic and environmental factors. While identifying reliable genetic variants that predispose individuals to developing SUDs has been challenging, epigenetic factors may also contribute to the heritability of SUDs. Familial drug use associates with a wide range of problems in children, including an increased risk for developing a SUD. The implications of maternal drug use on offspring development are a well-studied area; however, paternal drug use prior to conception has received relatively little attention. Paternal exposure to several environmental stimuli (i.e. stress or diet manipulations) results in behavioral and epigenetic changes in offspring. The purpose of this review is to determine the state of the preclinical literature on the behavioral and epigenetic consequences of paternal drug exposure. Drug-sired offspring show several developmental and physiological abnormalities. These offspring also show deficits in cognitive and emotional domains. Examining sensitivity to drugs in offspring is a growing area of research. Drug-sired offspring are resistant to the rewarding and reinforcing properties of drugs. However, greater paternal motivation for the drug, combined with high drug intake, can result in addiction-like behaviors in offspring. Drug-sired offspring also show altered histone modifications and DNA methylation levels of imprinted genes and microRNAs; epigenetic-mediated changes were also noted in genes related to glutamatergic and neurotrophic factor signaling. In some instances, drug use resulted in aberrant epigenetic modifications in sire sperm, and these changes were maintained in the brains of offspring. Thus, paternal drug exposure has long-lasting consequences that include altered drug sensitivity in subsequent generations. We discuss factors (i.e. maternal behaviors) that may moderate these paternal drug-induced effects as well as ideas for future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Nieto
- University of Houston, Department of Psychology & Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), Houston, TX, 77204-6022, United States
| | - Therese A Kosten
- University of Houston, Department of Psychology & Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES), Houston, TX, 77204-6022, United States
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Rompala GR, Homanics GE. Intergenerational Effects of Alcohol: A Review of Paternal Preconception Ethanol Exposure Studies and Epigenetic Mechanisms in the Male Germline. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 43:1032-1045. [PMID: 30908630 PMCID: PMC6551262 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
While alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a highly heritable psychiatric disease, efforts to elucidate that heritability by examining genetic variation (e.g., single nucleotide polymorphisms) have been insufficient to fully account for familial AUD risk. Perhaps not coincidently, there has been a burgeoning interest in novel nongenomic mechanisms of inheritance (i.e., epigenetics) that are shaped in the male or female germ cells by significant lifetime experiences such as exposure to chronic stress, malnutrition, or drugs of abuse. While many epidemiological and preclinical studies have long pointed to a role for the parental preconception environment in offspring behavior, over the last decade many studies have implicated a causal relationship between the environmentally sensitive sperm epigenome and intergenerational phenotypes. This critical review will detail the heritable effects of alcohol and the potential role for epigenetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory R Rompala
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Gregg E Homanics
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
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Paternal nicotine exposure in rats produces long-lasting neurobehavioral effects in the offspring. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2019; 74:106808. [PMID: 31103693 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2019.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Studies of intergenerational effects of parental chemical exposure have principally focused on maternal exposure, particularly for studies of adverse neurobehavioral consequences on the offspring. Maternal nicotine exposure has long been known to cause adverse neurobehavioral effects on the offspring. However, paternal toxicant exposure has also been found to cause neurobehavioral toxicity in their offspring. Recent work suggests that paternal nicotine exposure can have epigenetic effects, although it remains unclear whether such changes lead to neurobehavioral effects. In the current study, we investigated the effects of paternal nicotine exposure on neurobehavioral development of their offspring. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 0 or 2 mg/kg/day nicotine (sc) for 56 consecutive days with two consecutive 2ML4 osmotic minipumps. Following treatment, these males were mated with drug-naïve female rats. Offspring of both sexes were tested in a behavioral battery to assess locomotion, emotional function and cognition. Paternal nicotine exposure did not impact offspring viability, health or growth. However, behavioral function of the offspring was significantly altered by paternal nicotine exposure. Male offspring with paternal nicotine exposure exhibited locomotor hyperactivity in the Figure-8 apparatus when tested during adolescence. When retested in adulthood and regardless of sex, offspring of the nicotine exposed father showed significantly reduced habituation of locomotor activity over the course of the session. Compared to controls, female offspring of nicotine-exposed fathers showed significantly reduced response latency in the radial arm maze test. In addition to locomotor hyperactivity, the offspring of nicotine-exposed fathers also showed significantly diminished habituation in the novel object recognition test. These results indicate that chronic paternal nicotine exposure can impact the behavior of offspring, producing locomotor hyperactivity and impaired habituation.
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Hollander J, McNivens M, Pautassi RM, Nizhnikov ME. Offspring of male rats exposed to binge alcohol exhibit heightened ethanol intake at infancy and alterations in T-maze performance. Alcohol 2019; 76:65-71. [PMID: 30583252 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2018.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Revised: 07/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use is associated with a variety of negative consequences, including heightened likelihood of cognitive impairment, proclivity to alcohol use disorders (AUD), and alterations in the drinker's offspring. Children and rodents exposed to alcohol during pregnancy, or those whose fathers consumed alcohol prior to mating, often exhibit neurodevelopmental, physiological, and behavioral deficits. The present study assessed cognitive function and alcohol intake in male and female rats that were offspring of alcohol-exposed fathers. Adult male rats were exposed to alcohol or vehicle (0.0 or 2.0 g/kg, respectively; twice daily for 2 days followed by a rest day, for a total of eight alcohol or vehicle exposure days), or were left untreated and then mated with non-manipulated females. The offspring were assessed for alcohol intake, via intraoral infusion, followed by cognitive assessment via an alternating T-maze task. The results indicated that paternal ethanol exposure, prior to breeding, resulted in offspring that consumed significantly more ethanol than vehicle or untreated controls. Furthermore, the offspring of alcohol-exposed fathers exhibited a significant failure to initiate and complete the T-maze performance tests. Although, when they did engage in the tests they performed at the level of controls (i.e., 80% correct). The present results add to a growing body of literature suggesting that paternal pre-conception alcohol exposure can have deleterious effects on the offspring.
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48
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Bedi Y, Chang RC, Gibbs R, Clement TM, Golding MC. Alterations in sperm-inherited noncoding RNAs associate with late-term fetal growth restriction induced by preconception paternal alcohol use. Reprod Toxicol 2019; 87:11-20. [PMID: 31051257 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2019.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Using a mouse model, our group recently described an association between chronic paternal alcohol use prior to conception and deficits in offspring growth. Here, we sought to determine the impact of alcohol exposure on male reproductive physiology and the association of sperm-inherited noncoding RNAs with the transmission of the observed growth defects. Alcohol exposure did not appreciably alter male reproductive physiology or fertility. However, chronic alcohol use reproducibly induced late-term fetal growth restriction in the offspring, which correlated with a shift in the proportional ratio of transfer RNA-derived small RNAs to Piwi-interacting RNAs, as well as altered enrichment of microRNAs miR21, miR30, and miR142 in alcohol-exposed sperm. Although our dataset share similarities to prior works examining the impact of paternal stress on offspring phenotype, we were unable to identify any changes in plasma corticosterone, indicating alcohol may alter sperm-inherited noncoding RNAs through distinct mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yudhishtar Bedi
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
| | - Richard C Chang
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
| | - Rachel Gibbs
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
| | - Tracy M Clement
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University College Station, Texas, 77843, USA
| | - Michael C Golding
- Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University College Station, Texas, 77843, USA.
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Yaw AM, Prosser RA, Jones PC, Garcia BJ, Jacobson DA, Glass JD. Epigenetic effects of paternal cocaine on reward stimulus behavior and accumbens gene expression in mice. Behav Brain Res 2019; 367:68-81. [PMID: 30910707 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.02.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2019] [Revised: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Paternal cocaine use causes phenotypic alterations in offspring behavior and associated neural processing. In rodents, changes in first generation (F1) offspring include drug reward behavior, circadian timing, and anxiety responses. This study, utilizing a murine (C57BL/6J) oral cocaine model, examines the effects of paternal cocaine exposure on fundamental characteristics of offspring reward responses, including: 1) the extent of cocaine-induced effects after different durations of sire drug withdrawal; 2) sex- and drug-dependent differences in F1 reward preference; 3) effects on second generation (F2) cocaine preference; and 4) corresponding changes in reward area (nucleus accumbens) mRNA expression. We demonstrate that paternal cocaine intake over a single ˜40-day spermatogenic cycle significantly decreased cocaine (but not ethanol or sucrose) preference in a sex-specific manner in F1 mice from sires mated 24 h after drug withdrawal. However, F1 offspring of sires bred 4 months after withdrawal did not exhibit altered cocaine preference. Altered cocaine preference also was not observed in F2's. RNASeq analyses of F1 accumbens tissue revealed changes in gene expression in male offspring of cocaine-exposed sires, including many genes not previously linked to cocaine addiction. Enrichment analyses highlight genes linked to CNS development, synaptic signaling, extracellular matrix, and immune function. Expression correlation analyses identified a novel target, Fam19a4, that may negatively regulate many genes in the accumbens, including genes already identified in addiction. Collectively, these results reveal that paternal cocaine effects in F1 offspring may involve temporally limited epigenetic germline effects and identify new genetic targets for addiction research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra M Yaw
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State Univ., Kent, OH, 44242, United States
| | - Rebecca A Prosser
- Dept. of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, United States; NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, United States
| | - Piet C Jones
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, United States; Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, United States
| | - Benjamin J Garcia
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, United States
| | - Daniel A Jacobson
- NeuroNET Research Center, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, United States; Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37830, United States; Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, United States
| | - J David Glass
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State Univ., Kent, OH, 44242, United States.
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50
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Beeler E, Nobile ZL, Homanics GE. Paternal Preconception Every-Other-Day Ethanol Drinking Alters Behavior and Ethanol Consumption in Offspring. Brain Sci 2019; 9:brainsci9030056. [PMID: 30845665 PMCID: PMC6468863 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9030056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder is a devastating disease with a complex etiology. Recent preclinical studies have revealed that paternal preconception chronic intermittent ethanol (EtOH) exposure via vaporized EtOH altered drinking behaviors and sensitivity to EtOH selectively in male offspring. In the current study, we used a voluntary oral route of paternal preconception EtOH exposure, i.e., intermittent every-other-day two-bottle choice drinking, and tested offspring for behavioral alterations. Fifteen EtOH drinking sires and 10 control sires were mated to EtOH naïve females to produce EtOH-sired and control-sired offspring. These offspring were tested using the elevated plus maze, open field, drinking in the dark, and unlimited access two-bottle choice assays. We found that paternal preconception every-other-day two-bottle choice drinking resulted in reduced EtOH consumption selectively in male offspring in the drinking in the dark assay compared to control-sired offspring. No differences were detected in either sex in the unlimited access two-bottle choice and elevated plus maze assays. Open field analysis revealed complex changes in basal behavior and EtOH-induced behaviors that were sex specific. We concluded that paternal preconception voluntary EtOH consumption has persistent effects that impact the next generation. This study adds to a growing appreciation that one’s behavioral response to EtOH and EtOH drinking behavior are impacted by EtOH exposure of the prior generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Beeler
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 6068 Biomedical Science Tower-3, 3501 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
| | - Zachary L Nobile
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 4249 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA.
| | - Gregg E Homanics
- Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 6068 Biomedical Science Tower-3, 3501 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
- Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 6060 Biomedical Science Tower-3, 3501 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
- Department of Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 6060 Biomedical Science Tower-3, 3501 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 6060 Biomedical Science Tower-3, 3501 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
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