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Freire T, Pulpitel T, Clark X, Mackay F, Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ, Solon-Biet SM, Crean AJ. The effects of paternal dietary fat versus sugar on offspring body composition and anxiety-related behavior. Physiol Behav 2024; 279:114533. [PMID: 38552707 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114533] [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: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Increasing evidence suggests that the pre-conception parental environment has long-term consequences for offspring health and disease susceptibility. Though much of the work in this field concentrates on maternal influences, there is growing understanding that fathers also play a significant role in affecting offspring phenotypes. In this study, we investigate effects of altering the proportion of dietary fats and carbohydrates on paternal and offspring body composition and anxiety-related behavior in C57Bl/6-JArc mice. We show that in an isocaloric context, greater dietary fat increased body fat and reduced anxiety-like behavior of studs, whereas increased dietary sucrose had no significant effect. These dietary effects were not reflected in offspring traits, rather, we found sex-specific effects that differed between offspring body composition and behavioral traits. This finding is consistent with past paternal effect studies, where transgenerational effects have been shown to be more prominent in one sex over the other. Here, male offspring of fathers fed high-fat diets were heavier at 10 weeks of age due to increased lean body mass, whereas paternal diet had no significant effect on female offspring body fat or lean mass. In contrast, paternal dietary sugar appeared to have the strongest effects on male offspring behavior, with male offspring of high-sucrose fathers spending less time in the closed arms of the elevated plus maze. Both high-fat and high-sugar paternal diets were found to reduce anxiety-like behavior of female offspring, although this effect was only evident when offspring were fed a control diet. This study provides new understanding of the ways in which diet can shape the behavior of fathers and their offspring and contribute to the development of dietary guidelines to improve obesity and mental health conditions, such as anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Therese Freire
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia; School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia.
| | - Tamara Pulpitel
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia
| | - Ximonie Clark
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia
| | - Flora Mackay
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia
| | - Stephen J Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia
| | - Samantha M Solon-Biet
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia
| | - Angela J Crean
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney NSW, Australia
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Mashoodh R, Habrylo IB, Gudsnuk K, Champagne FA. Sex-specific effects of chronic paternal stress on offspring development are partially mediated via mothers. Horm Behav 2023; 152:105357. [PMID: 37062113 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Paternal stress exposure is known to impact the development of stress-related behaviors in offspring. Previous work has highlighted the importance of sperm mediated factors, such as RNAs, in transmitting the effects of parental stress. However, a key unanswered question is whether mothers behavior could drive or modulate the transmission of paternal stress effects on offspring development. Here we investigate how chronic variable stress in Balb/C mice influences the sex-specific development of anxiety- and depression-like neural and behavioral development in offspring. Moreover, we examined how stressed fathers influenced mate maternal investment towards their offspring and how this may modulate the transmission of paternal stress effects on offspring. We show that paternal stress leads to sex-specific effects on offspring behavior. Males that are chronically stressed sire female offspring that show increased anxiety and depression-like behaviors. However, male offspring of stressed fathers show reductions in anxiety- and depression-behaviors and are generally more exploratory. Moreover, we show that females mated with stressed males gain less weight during pregnancy and provide less care towards their offspring which additionally influenced offspring development. These data indicate that paternal stress can influence offspring development both directly and indirectly via changes in mothers, with implications for sex-specific offspring development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahia Mashoodh
- University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom.
| | - Ireneusz B Habrylo
- Columbia University, Department of Psychology, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue, Schermerhorn Hall, New York, NY 10027, United States of America
| | - Kathryn Gudsnuk
- Columbia University, Department of Psychology, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue, Schermerhorn Hall, New York, NY 10027, United States of America
| | - Frances A Champagne
- Columbia University, Department of Psychology, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue, Schermerhorn Hall, New York, NY 10027, United States of America; University of Texas Austin, Department of Psychology, 108 Dean Keeton, Austin, TX 78712, United States of America
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3
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Joushi S, Esmaeilpour K, Taherizadeh Z, Taheri F, Sheibani V. Intergenerational effects of maternal separation on cognitive abilities of adolescent rats. Int J Dev Neurosci 2020; 80:687-698. [DOI: 10.1002/jdn.10066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2020] [Revised: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Joushi
- Neuroscience Research Center Institute of NeuropharmacologyKerman University of Medical Sciences Kerman Iran
| | - Khadijeh Esmaeilpour
- Neuroscience Research Center Institute of NeuropharmacologyKerman University of Medical Sciences Kerman Iran
| | - Zahra Taherizadeh
- Neuroscience Research Center Institute of NeuropharmacologyKerman University of Medical Sciences Kerman Iran
| | - Farahnaz Taheri
- Neuroscience Research Center Institute of NeuropharmacologyKerman University of Medical Sciences Kerman Iran
| | - Vahid Sheibani
- Neuroscience Research Center Institute of NeuropharmacologyKerman University of Medical Sciences Kerman Iran
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4
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Champagne FA. Interplay between paternal germline and maternal effects in shaping development: The overlooked importance of behavioural ecology. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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5
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Campbell EJ, Flanagan JPM, Marchant NJ, Lawrence AJ. Reduced alcohol-seeking in male offspring of sires exposed to alcohol self-administration followed by punishment-imposed abstinence. Pharmacol Res Perspect 2018; 6:e00384. [PMID: 29468070 PMCID: PMC5813436 DOI: 10.1002/prp2.384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence has demonstrated that paternal alcohol use can modify the behavior of offspring, particularly male offspring. However, preclinical studies to date have not used voluntary self-administration of alcohol to examine alcohol-related behaviors in offspring. Here, we tested the hypothesis that paternal alcohol self-administration followed by punishment-imposed abstinence alters alcohol consumption and seeking in male offspring. Male inbred alcohol preferring iP rats were trained to self-administer alcohol in one context followed by punishment-imposed suppression of alcohol-seeking in a different context using contingent footshock. Following this, all rats were bred with alcohol naïve female iP rats. F1 offspring were then trained to self-administer alcohol in an identical operant paradigm as sires. Alcohol intake and self-administration behaviors of alcohol-sired offspring were compared to control-sired offspring whose fathers had not been exposed to the alcohol operant conditioning experience. We found that paternal alcohol self-administration reduced context-induced relapse to alcohol-seeking in male offspring. These findings indicate that voluntary paternal alcohol experience, operant conditioning, and punishment can result in intergenerational changes in offspring behavior, and that this effect may protect against the vulnerability to relapse after alcohol use. We also noted reduced alcohol responding in the punishment-associated context in alcohol-sired offspring, suggesting altered perception of punishment sensitivity or the anxiogenic response to footshock. Collectively, these findings provide evidence that paternal alcohol abuse can impact alcohol-related behaviors in male offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin J. Campbell
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental HealthThe University of MelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Jeremy P. M. Flanagan
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental HealthThe University of MelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Nathan J. Marchant
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental HealthThe University of MelbourneVictoriaAustralia
- Department of Anatomy & NeurosciencesVU University Medical CenterAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Andrew J. Lawrence
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental HealthParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental HealthThe University of MelbourneVictoriaAustralia
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Cissé YM, Russart KLG, Nelson RJ. Depressive-like behavior is elevated among offspring of parents exposed to dim light at night prior to mating. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 83. [PMID: 28644985 PMCID: PMC5546089 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) have steadily increased over the past 50 years. Many factors have been implicated in the etiology of depressive disorders and environmental influences are being increasingly recognized. The increase in depression rates has coincided with increased artificial nighttime lighting. Exposure to light at night (LAN) has been associated with increased depressive-like behavior in rodents and decreased mood in humans. However, relatively little is known on the multigenerational effects of dLAN on affect. In this study, we exposed adult male and female Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) to either DARK (0lx) or dim LAN (5lx) for 9 weeks, then paired animals in a full factorial design; all animals were thereafter housed in dark nights. Offspring were gestated and reared in dark nights, then tested in adulthood for depressive-like behaviors and hippocampal expression of glucocorticoid (GR) and melatonin (MT1) receptor expression. Maternal exposure to dLAN decreased sucrose preference, time to first float bout in the Porsolt swim test, and GR expression in the hippocampus. Paternal exposure to dLAN increased time spent floating, and increased hippocampal GR expression. Overall, our results suggest that chronic exposure of parents to light at night has multigenerational effects on offspring depressive-like behavior. If these results pertain to humans, then our data suggest that LAN may contribute to the rapidly rising rates of major depressive disorder in industrialized and developing countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasmine M Cissé
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Institute, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Group, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Kathryn L G Russart
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Institute, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Group, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Randy J Nelson
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Institute, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Group, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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Shang K, Talmage DA, Karl T. Parent-of-origin effects on schizophrenia-relevant behaviours of type III neuregulin 1 mutant mice. Behav Brain Res 2017; 332:250-258. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.05.057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2017] [Revised: 04/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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8
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A guide to designing germline-dependent epigenetic inheritance experiments in mammals. Nat Methods 2017; 14:243-249. [DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.4181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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9
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Thaler L, Steiger H. Eating Disorders and Epigenetics. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2017; 978:93-103. [PMID: 28523542 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-53889-1_5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Eating disorders (EDs) are characterized by intense preoccupation with shape and weight and maladaptive eating practices. The complex of symptoms that characterize EDs often arise through the activation of latent genetic potentials by environmental exposures, and epigenetic mechanisms are believed to link environmental exposures to gene expression. This chapter provides an overview of genetic factors acting in the etiology of EDs. It then provides a background to the hypothesis that epigenetic mechanisms link stresses such as obstetric complications and childhood abuse as well as effects of malnutrition to eating disorders (EDs). The chapter then summarizes the emerging body of literature on epigenetics and EDs-mainly studies on DNA methylation in samples of anorexia and bulimia. The available evidence base suggests that an epigenetically informed perspective contributes in valuable ways to the understanding of why people develop EDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Thaler
- Eating Disorders Continuum, Douglas Institute, Montreal West Island Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Verdun, QC, Canada, H4H 1R3. .,Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3A 1Y2.
| | - Howard Steiger
- Eating Disorders Continuum, Douglas Institute, Montreal West Island Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre, 6875 LaSalle Blvd, Verdun, QC, Canada, H4H 1R3.,Psychiatry Department, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3A 1Y2
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10
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Arias Del Razo R, Bales KL. Exploration in a dispersal task: Effects of early experience and correlation with other behaviors in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Behav Processes 2016; 132:66-75. [PMID: 27720755 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Revised: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Socially monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) display remarkable individual variation in social behaviors, which has been associated with differences in early life experience and neuropeptide receptor densities. These differences are also seen in the wild, where approximately 70% of young voles remain in their natal group as non-breeding alloparents, while the other 30% disperse. We investigated whether natural variation in early parental care could contribute to offspring's willingness to "disperse" (willingness to explore) in a laboratory context. Behavioral differences between dispersers and residents could also provide a way to interpret individual variation in other behaviors commonly observed under laboratory conditions. Breeder pairs ranked as high, medium or low-contact, according to the amount of early parental care they provided to offspring, were used to produce and rear experimental subjects. Effects of early parental care on the offspring's willingness to disperse were seen at post-natal day 21, with high-contact offspring spending more time in the start cage and low-contact offspring spending more time exploring. Variations in parental care were also associated with differences in juvenile and adult behaviors that could potentially encourage philopatry or dispersal behavior in the wild. High-contact offspring displayed less anxiety-like behavior compared to low-contact animals. Low-contact offspring displayed the lowest amount of alloparental care. High-contact offspring spent more time in side-by-side contact with a potential partner compared to medium and low-contact offspring. These results suggest that variations in early parental care can impact weanlings' exploratory behavior, but that philopatry is not driven by high anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Karen L Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
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11
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Epigenetic legacy of parental experiences: Dynamic and interactive pathways to inheritance. Dev Psychopathol 2016; 28:1219-1228. [PMID: 27687718 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579416000808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The quality of the environment experienced by an individual across his or her lifespan can result in a unique developmental trajectory with consequences for adult phenotype and reproductive success. However, it is also evident that these experiences can impact the development of offspring with continued effect on subsequent generations. Epigenetic mechanisms have been proposed as a mediator of both these within- and across-generation effects, and there is increasing evidence to support the role of environmentally induced changes in DNA methylation, posttranslational histone modifications, and noncoding RNAs in predicting these outcomes. Advances in our understanding of these molecular modifications contribute to increasingly nuanced perspectives on plasticity and transmission of phenotypes across generations. A challenge that emerges from this research is in how we integrate these "new" perspectives with traditional views of development, reproduction, and inheritance. This paper will highlight evidence suggestive of an epigenetic impact of the environment on mothers, fathers, and their offspring, and illustrate the importance of considering the dynamic nature of reproduction and development and inclusive views of inheritance within the evolving field of behavioral and environmental epigenetics.
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12
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Eating disorders, gene-environment interactions and the epigenome: Roles of stress exposures and nutritional status. Physiol Behav 2016; 162:181-5. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2016.01.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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13
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Junien C, Panchenko P, Fneich S, Pirola L, Chriett S, Amarger V, Kaeffer B, Parnet P, Torrisani J, Bolaños Jimenez F, Jammes H, Gabory A. [Epigenetics in transgenerational responses to environmental impacts: from facts and gaps]. Med Sci (Paris) 2016; 32:35-44. [PMID: 26850605 DOI: 10.1051/medsci/20163201007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The existence of non-genetic and non-cultural mechanisms that transfer information on the memory of parental exposures to various environments, determining the reactivity of the following generations to their environments during their life, are of growing interest. Yet fundamental questions remain about the nature, the roles and relative importance of epigenetic marks and processes, non-coding RNAs, or other mechanisms, and their persistence over generations. A model incorporating the various transmission systems, their cross-talks and windows of susceptibility to the environment as a function of sex/gender of parent and offspring, has yet to be built.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudine Junien
- Inra, UMR1198, biologie du développement et reproduction, Domaine de Vilvert, Bâtiment 230, F-78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Polina Panchenko
- Inra, UMR1198, biologie du développement et reproduction, Domaine de Vilvert, Bâtiment 230, F-78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Sara Fneich
- Inra, UMR1198, biologie du développement et reproduction, Domaine de Vilvert, Bâtiment 230, F-78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | | | - Valérie Amarger
- Inra, UMR 1280, université de Nantes, Institut des maladies de l'appareil digestif, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Bertrand Kaeffer
- Inra, UMR 1280, université de Nantes, Institut des maladies de l'appareil digestif, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Patricia Parnet
- Inra, UMR 1280, université de Nantes, Institut des maladies de l'appareil digestif, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Jérome Torrisani
- Inserm UMR1037, Centre de recherches en cancérologie de Toulouse, Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, F-31037 Toulouse, France
| | - Francisco Bolaños Jimenez
- Inra, UMR 1280, université de Nantes, Institut des maladies de l'appareil digestif, F-44000 Nantes, France
| | - Hélène Jammes
- Inra, UMR1198, biologie du développement et reproduction, Domaine de Vilvert, Bâtiment 230, F-78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Anne Gabory
- Inra, UMR1198, biologie du développement et reproduction, Domaine de Vilvert, Bâtiment 230, F-78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
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Prereproductive stress in adolescent female rats affects behavior and corticosterone levels in second-generation offspring. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2015; 58:120-9. [PMID: 25973567 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Revised: 04/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Human and animal studies indicate that vulnerability to stress may be heritable. We have previously shown that chronic, mild prereproductive stress (PRS) in adolescent female rats affects behavior and corticotropin releasing factor 1 (CRF1) expression in the brain of first-generation (F1) offspring. Here, we investigated the effects of PRS on anxiogenic behavior and CRF1 expression in male and female second-generation (F2) offspring. Furthermore, we assessed levels of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT), a direct marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function, in PRS females and their F1 and F2 progeny. F2 offspring demonstrated decreased CRF1 mRNA expression at birth, and alterations in anxiogenic behavior in adulthood. CORT levels were elevated in PRS females and in their F1 female, but not male, offspring. In F2, CORT levels in PRS offspring also varied in a sex-dependent manner. These findings indicate that PRS in adolescent females leads to behavioral alterations that extend to second-generation offspring, and has transgenerational effects on endocrine function. Together with our previous findings, these data indicate that PRS to adolescent females affects behavior and HPA axis function across three generations, and highlight the importance of examining the transgenerational effects of stress in both male and female offspring.
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Strober M, Peris T, Steiger H. The plasticity of development: how knowledge of epigenetics may advance understanding of eating disorders. Int J Eat Disord 2014; 47:696-704. [PMID: 24976293 DOI: 10.1002/eat.22322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2014] [Revised: 06/09/2014] [Accepted: 06/10/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To depict the processes through which animals and human beings engage their environment in continuously evolving states of conflict and cooperation. METHOD Descriptive literature review. RESULTS Life history outcomes are more relative than they are absolute. Genetic variations play a crucial role, but heavily influencing behavioral outcomes, psychopathology included, are external cues that epigenetically remodel DNA along experience-dependent signaling pathways. The result is phenotypes that either optimize adjustment, or constrain it. DISCUSSION Knowledge of epigenetic mechanisms may help shed new light on the origin of maturational phenotypes underlying eating disorders and why adjusting treatments to these realities warrants our attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Strober
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles; Stewart & Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, Los Angeles, California
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16
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Braun K, Champagne FA. Paternal influences on offspring development: behavioural and epigenetic pathways. J Neuroendocrinol 2014; 26:697-706. [PMID: 25039356 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2014] [Revised: 07/08/2014] [Accepted: 07/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Although mammalian parent-offspring interactions during early life are primarily through the mother, there is increasing evidence for the impact of fathers on offspring development. A critical issue concerns the pathways through which this paternal influence is achieved. In the present review, we highlight the literature suggesting several of these routes of paternal effects in mammals. First, similar to mothers, fathers can influence offspring development through the direct care of offspring, as has been observed in biparental species. Second, there is growing evidence that, even in the absence of contact with offspring, fathers can transmit environmentally-induced effects (i.e. behavioural, neurobiological and metabolic phenotypes induced by stress, nutrition and toxins) to offspring and it has been speculated that these effects are achieved through inherited epigenetic variation within the patriline. Third, fathers may also impact the quality of mother-infant interactions and thus achieve an indirect influence on offspring. Importantly, these pathways of paternal influence are not mutually exclusive but rather serve as an illustration of the complex mechanisms through which parental influence is achieved. These influences may serve to transmit traits across generations, thus leading to a transgenerational transmission of neurobiological and behavioural phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Braun
- Department of Zoology/Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Biology, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
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17
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Kim P, Choi CS, Park JH, Joo SH, Kim SY, Ko HM, Kim KC, Jeon SJ, Park SH, Han SH, Ryu JH, Cheong JH, Han JY, Ko KN, Shin CY. Chronic exposure to ethanol of male mice before mating produces attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-like phenotype along with epigenetic dysregulation of dopamine transporter expression in mouse offspring. J Neurosci Res 2014; 92:658-70. [PMID: 24510599 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.23275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2012] [Revised: 04/09/2013] [Accepted: 06/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Preconception exposure to EtOH through the paternal route may affect neurobehavioral and developmental features of offspring. This study investigates the effects of paternal exposure to EtOH before conception on the hyperactivity, inattention, and impulsivity behavior of male offspring in mice. Sire mice were treated with EtOH in a concentration range approximating human binge drinking (0-4 g/kg/day EtOH) for 7 weeks and mated with untreated females mice to produce offspring. EtOH exposure to sire mice induced attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-like hyperactive, inattentive, and impulsive behaviors in offspring. As a mechanistic link, both protein and mRNA expression of dopamine transporter (DAT), a key determinant of ADHD-like phenotypes in experimental animals and humans, were significantly decreased by paternal EtOH exposure in cerebral cortex and striatum of offspring mice along with increased methylation of a CpG region of the DAT gene promoter. The increase in methylation of DAT gene promoter was also observed in the sperm of sire mice, suggesting germline changes in the epigenetic methylation signature of DAT gene by EtOH exposure. In addition, the expression of two key regulators of methylation-dependent epigenetic regulation of functional gene expression, namely, MeCP2 and DNMT1, was markedly decreased in offspring cortex and striatum sired by EtOH-exposed mice. These results suggest that preconceptional exposure to EtOH through the paternal route induces behavioral changes in offspring, possibly via epigenetic changes in gene expression, which is essential for the regulation of ADHD-like behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pitna Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Neuroscience Research Center, Institute SMART-IABS, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
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18
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Preconceptional paternal exposure to a single traumatic event affects postnatal growth of female but not male offspring. Neuroreport 2013; 24:856-60. [DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000000007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Perkeybile AM, Griffin LL, Bales KL. Natural variation in early parental care correlates with social behaviors in adolescent prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Front Behav Neurosci 2013; 7:21. [PMID: 23515227 PMCID: PMC3600544 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2012] [Accepted: 03/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural variation in early parental care may contribute to long-term changes in behavior in the offspring. Here we investigate the role of variable early care in biparental prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Total amounts of parental care were initially quantified for 24 breeder pairs and pairs were ranked in relation to one another based on total contact. Consistency in key components of care suggested a trait-like quality to parental care. Based on this ranking, breeder pairs from the top (high-contact) and bottom (low-contact) quartiles were selected to produce high- and low-contact offspring to investigate adolescent behavior after varying early care. Parental care of subject offspring was again observed postnatally. Offspring of high-contact parents spent more time passively nursing and received more paternal non-huddling contact while low-contact offspring spent more time actively nursing and received more paternal huddling and pseudohuddling in the first postnatal days (PNDs). Low-contact offspring also displayed faster rates of development on a number of physical markers. Post-weaning, offspring were evaluated on anxiety-like behavior, social behavior and pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) to a tactile and an acoustic startle. High-contact offspring spent more time sniffing a juvenile and less time autogrooming. With an infant, high-contact offspring spent more time in non-huddling contact and less time autogrooming and retrieving than did low-contact offspring. Considering sexes separately, high-contact females spent more time sniffing a novel juvenile than low-contact females. High-contact males spent more time in non-huddling contact with an infant than low-contact males; while low-contact females retrieved infants more than high-contact females. In both measures of social behavior, high-contact males spent less time autogrooming than low-contact males. These results suggest a relationship between early-life care and differences in social behavior in adolescence.
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Epigenetic inheritance of a cocaine-resistance phenotype. Nat Neurosci 2012; 16:42-7. [PMID: 23242310 PMCID: PMC3531046 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 268] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2012] [Accepted: 11/15/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A heritable phenotype resulting from the self-administration of cocaine in rats was delineated. We observed delayed acquisition and reduced maintenance of cocaine self-administration in male, but not female, offspring of sires that self-administered cocaine. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA and protein were increased in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and there was an increased association of acetylated histone H3 with BDNF promoters only in the male offspring of cocaine-experienced sires. Administration of a BDNF receptor antagonist (the TrkB receptor antagonist ANA-12) reversed the diminished cocaine self-administration in male cocaine-sired rats. In addition, the association of acetylated histone H3 with BDNF promoters was increased in the sperm of sires that self-administered cocaine. Collectively, these findings indicate that voluntary paternal ingestion of cocaine results in epigenetic reprograming of the germline resulting in profound effects on mPFC gene expression and resistance to cocaine reinforcement in male offspring.
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Paternal social enrichment effects on maternal behavior and offspring growth. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109 Suppl 2:17232-8. [PMID: 23045657 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1121083109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Paternal environmental experiences are significant predictors of developmental outcomes in offspring and can occur even in the absence of paternal care. Although there has been a recent focus on the role of environmentally induced changes in the male germline in producing these effects, the potential mediating role of mothers has not been investigated. A role for mothers in the transmission of paternal effects has been well acknowledged in behavioral ecology, which predicts that females will dynamically adjust their reproductive investment in response to the qualities of their mate. In the present study, we show that a lifetime of socially enriched compared with impoverished housing conditions shifts anxiety-like behavior and gene expression of male mice. Females that mate with enriched-reared males exhibit increased levels of pup nursing and licking toward their offspring, which are associated with changes in gene expression within the maternal hypothalamus. Significantly, these changes in maternal behavior are correlated with the general levels of anxiety exhibited by their male mates. Further, we show that paternal environmental enrichment results in increased growth of their offspring. These results suggest that maternal-paternal interactions at mating may guide offspring development, with significant implications for the transgenerational transmission of paternal environmental experiences.
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Killinger CE, Robinson S, Stanwood GD. Subtle biobehavioral effects produced by paternal cocaine exposure. Synapse 2012; 66:902-8. [PMID: 22807092 DOI: 10.1002/syn.21582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2012] [Revised: 07/02/2012] [Accepted: 07/04/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Despite the increased prevalence of cocaine use and abuse in males when compared with females, possible effects of paternal cocaine exposure on biobehavioral development have received little attention. We therefore exposed male mice to cocaine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle for 10 weeks and then used those mice as sires. We then behaviorally phenotyped the F1 offspring to assess the consequences of paternal cocaine exposure on brain function. We report the presence of a subtle but significant increase in immobility in the tail suspension test, a measure of behavioral depression, following paternal cocaine. Body weight was also significantly decreased in paternal cocaine-exposed offspring. Other aspects of neurobehavioral function, including locomotor activity, anxiety, and learning and memory, were not affected by paternal cocaine history. These data suggest alterations in brain systems and/or circuitry underlying mood regulation in the offspring of cocaine-using fathers. Synapse 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Killinger
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA
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Fairless AH, Dow HC, Kreibich AS, Torre M, Kuruvilla M, Gordon E, Morton EA, Tan J, Berrettini WH, Li H, Abel T, Brodkin ES. Sociability and brain development in BALB/cJ and C57BL/6J mice. Behav Brain Res 2011; 228:299-310. [PMID: 22178318 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2011] [Revised: 11/30/2011] [Accepted: 12/01/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Sociability--the tendency to seek social interaction--propels the development of social cognition and social skills, but is disrupted in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). BALB/cJ and C57BL/6J inbred mouse strains are useful models of low and high levels of juvenile sociability, respectively, but the neurobiological and developmental factors that account for the strains' contrasting sociability levels are largely unknown. We hypothesized that BALB/cJ mice would show increasing sociability with age but that C57BL/6J mice would show high sociability throughout development. We also hypothesized that littermates would resemble one another in sociability more than non-littermates. Finally, we hypothesized that low sociability would be associated with low corpus callosum size and increased brain size in BALB/cJ mice. Separate cohorts of C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ mice were tested for sociability at 19-, 23-, 31-, 42-, or 70-days-of-age, and brain weights and mid-sagittal corpus callosum area were measured. BALB/cJ sociability increased with age, and a strain by age interaction in sociability between 31 and 42 days of age suggested strong effects of puberty on sociability development. Sociability scores clustered according to litter membership in both strains, and perinatal litter size and sex ratio were identified as factors that contributed to this clustering in C57BL/6J, but not BALB/cJ, litters. There was no association between corpus callosum size and sociability, but smaller brains were associated with lower sociability in BALB/cJ mice. The associations reported here will provide directions for future mechanistic studies of sociability development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew H Fairless
- Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Translational Research Laboratory, 125 South 31st Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3403, USA
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Foldi CJ, Eyles DW, Flatscher-Bader T, McGrath JJ, Burne THJ. New perspectives on rodent models of advanced paternal age: relevance to autism. Front Behav Neurosci 2011; 5:32. [PMID: 21734873 PMCID: PMC3124931 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2011] [Accepted: 06/14/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Offspring of older fathers have an increased risk of various adverse health outcomes, including autism and schizophrenia. With respect to biological mechanisms for this association, there are many more germline cell divisions in the life history of a sperm relative to that of an oocyte. This leads to more opportunities for copy error mutations in germ cells from older fathers. Evidence also suggests that epigenetic patterning in the sperm from older men is altered. Rodent models provide an experimental platform to examine the association between paternal age and brain development. Several rodent models of advanced paternal age (APA) have been published with relevance to intermediate phenotypes related to autism. All four published APA models vary in key features creating a lack of consistency with respect to behavioral phenotypes. A consideration of common phenotypes that emerge from these APA-related mouse models may be informative in the exploration of the molecular and neurobiological correlates of APA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire J Foldi
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland St Lucia, QLD, Australia
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Foldi CJ, Eyles DW, McGrath JJ, Burne THJ. The effects of breeding protocol in C57BL/6J mice on adult offspring behaviour. PLoS One 2011; 6:e18152. [PMID: 21448436 PMCID: PMC3063184 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0018152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2010] [Accepted: 02/22/2011] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal experiments have demonstrated that a wide range of prenatal exposures can impact on the behaviour of the offspring. However, there is a lack of evidence as to whether the duration of sire exposure could affect such outcomes. We compared two widely used methods for breeding offspring for behavioural studies. The first involved housing male and female C57Bl/6J mice together for a period of time (usually 10–12 days) and checking for pregnancy by the presence of a distended abdomen (Pair-housed; PH). The second involved daily introduction of female breeders to the male homecage followed by daily checks for pregnancy by the presence of vaginal plugs (Time-mated; TM). Male and female offspring were tested at 10 weeks of age on a behavioural test battery including the elevated plus-maze, hole board, light/dark emergence, forced swim test, novelty-suppressed feeding, active avoidance and extinction, tests for nociception and for prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response. We found that length of sire exposure (LSE) had no significant effects on offspring behaviour, suggesting that the two breeding protocols do not differentially affect the behavioural outcomes of interest. The absence of LSE effects on the selected variables examined does not detract from the relevance of this study. Information regarding the potential influences of breeding protocol is not only absent from the literature, but also likely to be of particular interest to researchers studying the influence of prenatal manipulations on adult behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire J. Foldi
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Darryl W. Eyles
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Richlands, Queensland, Australia
| | - John J. McGrath
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Richlands, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Thomas H. J. Burne
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Richlands, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail:
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Curley JP, Mashoodh R, Champagne FA. Epigenetics and the origins of paternal effects. Horm Behav 2011; 59:306-14. [PMID: 20620140 PMCID: PMC2975825 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2010.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 249] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2010] [Revised: 06/15/2010] [Accepted: 06/24/2010] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Though there are multiple routes through which parents can influence their offspring, recent studies of environmentally induced epigenetic variation have highlighted the role of non-genomic pathways. In addition to the experience-dependent modification of DNA methylation that can be achieved via mother-infant interactions, there has been increasing interest in the epigenetic mechanisms through which paternal influences on offspring development can be achieved. Epidemiological and laboratory studies suggest that paternal nutritional and toxicological exposures as well as paternal age and phenotypic variation can lead to variations in offspring and, in some cases, grand-offspring development. These findings suggest a potential epigenetic germline inheritance of paternal effects. However, it may be important to consider the interplay between maternal and paternal influences as well as the experimental dissociation between experience-dependent and germline transmission when exploring the role of epigenetic variation within the germline as a mediator of these effects. In this review, we will explore these issues, with a particular focus on the potential role of paternally induced maternal investment, highlight the literature illustrating the transgenerational impact of paternal experiences, and discuss the evidence supporting the role of epigenetic mechanisms in maintaining paternal effects both within and across generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Curley
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, Schermerhorn Hall, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA
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Alter MD, Kharkar R, Ramsey KE, Craig DW, Melmed RD, Grebe TA, Bay RC, Ober-Reynolds S, Kirwan J, Jones JJ, Turner JB, Hen R, Stephan DA. Autism and increased paternal age related changes in global levels of gene expression regulation. PLoS One 2011; 6:e16715. [PMID: 21379579 PMCID: PMC3040743 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0016715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2010] [Accepted: 12/20/2010] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A causal role of mutations in multiple general transcription factors in neurodevelopmental disorders including autism suggested that alterations in global levels of gene expression regulation might also relate to disease risk in sporadic cases of autism. This premise can be tested by evaluating for changes in the overall distribution of gene expression levels. For instance, in mice, variability in hippocampal-dependent behaviors was associated with variability in the pattern of the overall distribution of gene expression levels, as assessed by variance in the distribution of gene expression levels in the hippocampus. We hypothesized that a similar change in variance might be found in children with autism. Gene expression microarrays covering greater than 47,000 unique RNA transcripts were done on RNA from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of children with autism (n = 82) and controls (n = 64). Variance in the distribution of gene expression levels from each microarray was compared between groups of children. Also tested was whether a risk factor for autism, increased paternal age, was associated with variance. A decrease in the variance in the distribution of gene expression levels in PBL was associated with the diagnosis of autism and a risk factor for autism, increased paternal age. Traditional approaches to microarray analysis of gene expression suggested a possible mechanism for decreased variance in gene expression. Gene expression pathways involved in transcriptional regulation were down-regulated in the blood of children with autism and children of older fathers. Thus, results from global and gene specific approaches to studying microarray data were complimentary and supported the hypothesis that alterations at the global level of gene expression regulation are related to autism and increased paternal age. Global regulation of transcription, thus, represents a possible point of convergence for multiple etiologies of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D Alter
- Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
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Weiss IC, Franklin TB, Vizi S, Mansuy IM. Inheritable effect of unpredictable maternal separation on behavioral responses in mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2011; 5:3. [PMID: 21331159 PMCID: PMC3034937 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2011.00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2010] [Accepted: 01/17/2011] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The long-term impact of early stress on behavior and emotions is well documented in humans, and can be modeled in experimental animals. In mice, maternal separation during early postnatal development induces poor and disorganized maternal care, and results in behavioral deficits that persist through adulthood. Here, we examined the long-term effect of unpredictable maternal separation combined with maternal stress on behavior and its transmissibility. We report that unpredictable maternal separation from birth to postnatal day 14 in C57Bl/6J mice has mild behavioral effects in the animals when adult, but that its combination with maternal stress exacerbates this effect. Further, the behavioral deficits are transmitted to the following generation through females, an effect that is independent of maternal care and is not affected by cross-fostering. The combined manipulation does not alter basic components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis but decreases the expression of the corticotropin releasing factor receptor 2 (CRFR2) in several nuclei of the amygdala and the hypothalamus in the brain of maternal-separated females. These results suggest a non-genomic mode of transmission of the impact of early stress in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle C Weiss
- Brain Research Institute, University of Zurich/Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Switzerland
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Curley JP, Mashoodh R. Parent-of-origin and trans-generational germline influences on behavioral development: the interacting roles of mothers, fathers, and grandparents. Dev Psychobiol 2010; 52:312-30. [PMID: 20373326 DOI: 10.1002/dev.20430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Mothers and fathers do not contribute equally to the development of their offspring. In addition to the differential investment of mothers versus fathers in the rearing of offspring, there are also a number of germline factors that are transmitted unequally from one parent or the other that contribute significantly to offspring development. This article shall review four major sources of such parent-of-origin effects. Firstly, there is increasing evidence that genes inherited on the sex chromosomes including the nonpseudoautosomal part of the Y chromosome that is only inherited from fathers to sons, contribute to brain development and behavior independently of the organizing effects of sex hormones. Secondly, recent work has demonstrated that mitochondrial DNA that is primarily inherited only from mothers may play a much greater than anticipated role in neurobehavioral development. Thirdly, there exists a class of genes known as imprinted genes that are epigenetically silenced when passed on in a parent-of-origin specific manner and have been shown to regulate brain development and a variety of behaviors. Finally, there is converging evidence from several disciplines that environmental variations experienced by mothers and fathers may lead to plasticity in the development and behavior of offspring and that this phenotypic inheritance can be solely transmitted through the germline. Mechanistically, this may be achieved through altered programming within germ cells of the epigenetic status of particular genes such as retrotransposons and imprinted genes or potentially through altered expression of RNAs within gametes.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Curley
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, Room 406, Schermerhorn Hall, 1190 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA.
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