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Wu D, Zhang K, Guan K, Khan FA, Pandupuspitasari NS, Negara W, Sun F, Huang C. Future in the past: paternal reprogramming of offspring phenotype and the epigenetic mechanisms. Arch Toxicol 2024; 98:1685-1703. [PMID: 38460001 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-024-03713-6] [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: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
That certain preconceptual paternal exposures reprogram the developmental phenotypic plasticity in future generation(s) has conceptualized the "paternal programming of offspring health" hypothesis. This transgenerational effect is transmitted primarily through sperm epigenetic mechanisms-DNA methylation, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) and associated RNA modifications, and histone modifications-and potentially through non-sperm-specific mechanisms-seminal plasma and circulating factors-that create 'imprinted' memory of ancestral information. The epigenetic landscape in sperm is highly responsive to environmental cues, due to, in part, the soma-to-germline communication mediated by epididymosomes. While human epidemiological studies and experimental animal studies have provided solid evidences in support of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, how ancestral information is memorized as epigenetic codes for germline transmission is poorly understood. Particular elusive is what the downstream effector pathways that decode those epigenetic codes into persistent phenotypes. In this review, we discuss the paternal reprogramming of offspring phenotype and the possible underlying epigenetic mechanisms. Cracking these epigenetic mechanisms will lead to a better appreciation of "Paternal Origins of Health and Disease" and guide innovation of intervention algorithms to achieve 'healthier' outcomes in future generations. All this will revolutionize our understanding of human disease etiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Wu
- Institute of Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Kejia Zhang
- Institute of Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China
| | - Kaifeng Guan
- School of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Faheem Ahmed Khan
- Research Center for Animal Husbandry, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta Pusat, 10340, Indonesia
| | | | - Windu Negara
- Research Center for Animal Husbandry, National Research and Innovation Agency, Jakarta Pusat, 10340, Indonesia
| | - Fei Sun
- Institute of Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
| | - Chunjie Huang
- Institute of Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, China.
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2
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Chen HC, Wang J, Coffey RJ, Patton JG, Weaver AM, Shyr Y, Liu Q. EVPsort: An Atlas of Small ncRNA Profiling and Sorting in Extracellular Vesicles and Particles. J Mol Biol 2024:168571. [PMID: 38604528 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2024.168571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles and particles (EVPs) play a crucial role in mediating cell-to-cell communication by transporting various molecular cargos, with small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) holding particular significance. A thorough investigation into the abundance and sorting mechanisms of ncRNA within EVPs is imperative for advancing their clinical applications. We have developed EVPsort, which not only provides an extensive overview of ncRNA profiling in 3,162 samples across various biofluids, cell lines, and disease contexts but also seamlessly integrates 19 external databases and tools. This integration encompasses information on associations between ncRNAs and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), motifs, targets, pathways, diseases, and drugs. With its rich resources and powerful analysis tools, EVPsort extends its profiling capabilities to investigate ncRNA sorting, identify relevant RBPs and motifs, and assess functional implications. EVPsort stands as a pioneering database dedicated to comprehensively addressing both the abundance and sorting of ncRNA within EVPs. It is freely accessible at https://bioinfo.vanderbilt.edu/evpsort/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hua-Chang Chen
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jing Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Robert J Coffey
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - James G Patton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Alissa M Weaver
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Center for Extracellular Vesicle Research, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Yu Shyr
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
| | - Qi Liu
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Center for Quantitative Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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3
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Hannan AJ. Gene-environment interactions modulating brain disorders: Neurobiological mechanisms and therapeutic applications. Neurobiol Dis 2023; 188:106325. [PMID: 37838008 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2023.106325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J Hannan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
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4
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He S, Liu Y. Darwin's gemmules and extracellular vesicles: A striking resemblance. Mol Ther 2023; 31:2559. [PMID: 37541254 PMCID: PMC10492020 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Songlin He
- Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Yongsheng Liu
- Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003, China; Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 2R7, Canada.
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Harris JC, Trigg NA, Goshu B, Yokoyama Y, Dohnalová L, White EK, Harman A, Thaiss CA, Grice EA, Conine CC, Kambayashi T. The microbiota and immune system non-genetically affect offspring phenotypes transgenerationally. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.06.535940. [PMID: 37066207 PMCID: PMC10104111 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.06.535940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
The host-microbiota relationship has evolved to shape mammalian processes, including immunity, metabolism, and development 1-3 . Host phenotypes change in direct response to microbial exposures by the individual. Here we show that the microbiota induces phenotypic change not only in the individual but also in their succeeding generations of progeny. We found that germ-free mice exhibit a robust sebum secretion defect and transcriptional changes in various organs, persisting across multiple generations despite microbial colonization and breeding with conventional mice. Host-microbe interactions could be involved in this process, since T cell-deficient mice, which display defective sebum secretion 4 , also transgenerationally transmit their phenotype to progeny. These phenotypes are inherited by progeny conceived during in vitro fertilization using germ-free sperm and eggs, demonstrating that epigenetic information in the gametes is required for phenotypic transmission. Accordingly, small non-coding RNAs that can regulate embryonic gene expression 5 were strikingly and similarly altered in gametes of germ-free and T cell-deficient mice. Thus, we have uncovered a novel mechanism whereby the microbiota and immune system induce phenotypic changes in successive generations of offspring. This epigenetic form of inheritance could be advantageous for host adaptation to environmental perturbation, where phenotypic diversity can be introduced more rapidly than by genetic mutation.
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Kaufman J, Khan M, Shepard Payne J, Mancini J, Summers White Y. Transgenerational Inheritance and Systemic Racism in America. PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE 2023. [DOI: 10.1176/appi.prcp.20220043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Joan Kaufman
- Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (J. Kaufman, M. Khan, J. Shepard Payne, J. Mancini, Y. Summers White)
| | - Maria Khan
- Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (J. Kaufman, M. Khan, J. Shepard Payne, J. Mancini, Y. Summers White)
| | - Jennifer Shepard Payne
- Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (J. Kaufman, M. Khan, J. Shepard Payne, J. Mancini, Y. Summers White)
| | - Julia Mancini
- Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (J. Kaufman, M. Khan, J. Shepard Payne, J. Mancini, Y. Summers White)
| | - Yvonne Summers White
- Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute and Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (J. Kaufman, M. Khan, J. Shepard Payne, J. Mancini, Y. Summers White)
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Zeid D, Gould TJ. Chronic nicotine exposure alters sperm small RNA content in C57BL/6J mouse model. Dev Psychobiol 2023; 65:e22367. [PMID: 36811365 PMCID: PMC9978956 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22367] [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: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Multigenerational inheritance is a nongenomic form of heritability characterized by altered phenotypes in the first generation born from the exposed parent. Multigenerational factors may account for inconsistencies and gaps in heritable nicotine addiction vulnerability. Our lab previously found that F1 offspring of male C57BL/6J mice chronically exposed to nicotine exhibited altered hippocampus functioning and related learning, nicotine-seeking, nicotine metabolism, and basal stress hormones. In an effort to identify germline mechanisms underlying these multigenerational phenotypes, the current study sequenced small RNA extracted from sperm of males chronically administered nicotine using our previously established exposure model. We identified 16 miRNAs whose expression in sperm was dysregulated by nicotine exposure. A literature review of previous research on these transcripts suggested an enrichment for regulation of psychological stress and learning. mRNAs predicted to be regulated by differentially expressed sperm small RNAs were further analyzed using exploratory enrichment analysis, which suggested potential modulation of pathways related to learning, estrogen signaling, and hepatic disease, among other findings. Overall, our findings point to links between nicotine-exposed F0 sperm miRNA and altered F1 phenotypes in this multigenerational inheritance model, particularly F1 memory, stress, and nicotine metabolism. These findings provide a valuable foundation for future functional validation of these hypotheses and characterization of mechanisms underlying male-line multigenerational inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Zeid
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | - Thomas J. Gould
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University, University Park PA, USA
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Duffy KA, Sammel MD, Johnson RL, Kim DR, Wang EY, Ewing G, Hantsoo L, Kornfield SL, Bale TL, Epperson CN. Maternal adverse childhood experiences impact fetal adrenal volume in a sex-specific manner. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:7. [PMID: 36803442 PMCID: PMC9936707 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00492-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mechanisms by which parental early life stress can be transmitted to the next generation, in some cases in a sex-specific manner, are unclear. Maternal preconception stress may increase susceptibility to suboptimal health outcomes via in utero programming of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. METHODS We recruited healthy pregnant women (N = 147), dichotomized into low (0 or 1) and high (2+) adverse childhood experience (ACE) groups based on the ACE Questionnaire, to test the hypothesis that maternal ACE history influences fetal adrenal development in a sex-specific manner. At a mean (standard deviation) of 21.5 (1.4) and 29.5 (1.4) weeks gestation, participants underwent three-dimensional ultrasounds to measure fetal adrenal volume, adjusting for fetal body weight (waFAV). RESULTS At ultrasound 1, waFAV was smaller in high versus low ACE males (b = - 0.17; z = - 3.75; p < .001), but females did not differ significantly by maternal ACE group (b = 0.09; z = 1.72; p = .086). Compared to low ACE males, waFAV was smaller for low (b = - 0.20; z = - 4.10; p < .001) and high ACE females (b = - 0.11; z = 2.16; p = .031); however, high ACE males did not differ from low (b = 0.03; z = .57; p = .570) or high ACE females (b = - 0.06; z = - 1.29; p = .196). At ultrasound 2, waFAV did not differ significantly between any maternal ACE/offspring sex subgroups (ps ≥ .055). Perceived stress did not differ between maternal ACE groups at baseline, ultrasound 1, or ultrasound 2 (ps ≥ .148). CONCLUSIONS We observed a significant impact of high maternal ACE history on waFAV, a proxy for fetal adrenal development, but only in males. Our observation that the waFAV in males of mothers with a high ACE history did not differ from the waFAV of females extends preclinical research demonstrating a dysmasculinizing effect of gestational stress on a range of offspring outcomes. Future studies investigating intergenerational transmission of stress should consider the influence of maternal preconception stress on offspring outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korrina A. Duffy
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO USA ,grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Colorado – Anschutz Medical Campus, 1890 N. Revere Court, Aurora, CO 80045 USA
| | - Mary D. Sammel
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO USA ,grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado School of Public Health – Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO USA
| | - Rachel L. Johnson
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Biostatistics and Informatics, University of Colorado School of Public Health – Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO USA
| | - Deborah R. Kim
- grid.25879.310000 0004 1936 8972Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Eileen Y. Wang
- grid.25879.310000 0004 1936 8972Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Grace Ewing
- grid.266826.e0000 0000 9216 5478University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, Biddeford, ME USA
| | - Liisa Hantsoo
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Sara L. Kornfield
- grid.25879.310000 0004 1936 8972Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Tracy L. Bale
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO USA
| | - C. Neill Epperson
- grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO USA ,grid.430503.10000 0001 0703 675XDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine – Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO USA
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9
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Morgan CP, Meadows VE, Marx-Rattner R, Cisse YM, Bale TL. HA-tag CD63 is a novel conditional transgenic approach to track extracellular vesicle interactions with sperm and their transfer at conception. Sci Rep 2023; 13:707. [PMID: 36639735 PMCID: PMC9839718 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-27898-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a unique mode of intercellular communication capable of specificity in transmitting signals and cargo to coordinate local and distant cellular functions. A key example of this is the essential role that EVs secreted by epithelial cells lining the lumen of the male reproductive tract play in post-spermatogenic sperm maturation. We recently showed in a preclinical mouse model that this fundamental process had a causal role in somatic-to-germline transmission of biological information regarding prior stress experience capable of altering the rate of fetal development. However, critical mechanistic questions remain unanswered as to the processes by which signaling occurs between EVs and sperm, and whether EVs or their cargo are delivered at conception and are detectable in the early embryo. Unfortunately, notable methodological limitations shared across EV biology, particularly in the isolation and labeling of EVs, complicate efforts to answer these important questions as well as questions on EV targeting specificity and mechanisms. In our current studies, we developed a novel approach to track EVs using a conditional transgenic construct designed to label EVs via conditional Cre-induced hemagglutinin (HA) tagging of the EV endogenous tetraspanin, CD63. In our exhaustive validation steps, this internal small molecular weight tag did not affect EV secretion or functionality, a common problem found in the previous design of EV tags using larger molecular weight proteins, including fluorescent proteins. Utilizing a stably transfected immortalized epididymal epithelial cell line, we first validated key parameters of the conditional HA-tagged protein packaged into secreted EVs. Importantly, we systematically confirmed that expression of the CD63-HA had no impact on the production, size distribution, or surface charge of secreted EVs, nor did it alter the tetraspanin or miRNA composition of these EVs. We also utilized the CD63-HA EVs to verify physical interactions with sperm. Finally, using in vitro fertilization we produced some of the first images confirming sperm delivered EV cargo at conception and still detectable in the early-stage embryo. As such, this construct serves as a methodological advance and as a valuable tool, with applications in the study of EV function across biomedical research areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P Morgan
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Victoria E Meadows
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Ruth Marx-Rattner
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Yasmine M Cisse
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Tracy L Bale
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, CU Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 E. 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA.
- The Anschutz Foundation Endowed Chair in Women's Integrated Mental and Physical Health Research at the Ludeman Center, Aurora, USA.
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10
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Thompson SM. Plasticity of synapses and reward circuit function in the genesis and treatment of depression. Neuropsychopharmacology 2023; 48:90-103. [PMID: 36057649 PMCID: PMC9700729 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01422-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
What changes in brain function cause the debilitating symptoms of depression? Can we use the answers to this question to invent more effective, faster acting antidepressant drug therapies? This review provides an overview and update of the converging human and preclinical evidence supporting the hypothesis that changes in the function of excitatory synapses impair the function of the circuits they are embedded in to give rise to the pathological changes in mood, hedonic state, and thought processes that characterize depression. The review also highlights complementary human and preclinical findings that classical and novel antidepressant drugs relieve the symptoms of depression by restoring the functions of these same synapses and circuits. These findings offer a useful path forward for designing better antidepressant compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott M Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, 80045, CO, USA.
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11
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Jiang Z, El-Brolosy MA, Serobyan V, Welker JM, Retzer N, Dooley CM, Jakutis G, Juan T, Fukuda N, Maischein HM, Balciunas D, Stainier DY. Parental mutations influence wild-type offspring via transcriptional adaptation. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabj2029. [PMID: 36427314 PMCID: PMC9699682 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj2029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI) is mostly discussed in the context of physiological or environmental factors. Here, we show intergenerational and transgenerational inheritance of transcriptional adaptation (TA), a process whereby mutant messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation affects gene expression, in nematodes and zebrafish. Wild-type offspring of animals heterozygous for mRNA-destabilizing alleles display increased expression of adapting genes. Notably, offspring of animals heterozygous for nontranscribing alleles do not display this response. Germline-specific mutations are sufficient to induce TA in wild-type offspring, indicating that, at least for some genes, mutations in somatic tissues are not necessary for this process. Microinjecting total RNA from germ cells of TA-displaying heterozygous zebrafish can trigger TA in wild-type embryos and in their progeny, suggesting a model whereby mutant mRNAs in the germline trigger a TA response that can be epigenetically inherited. In sum, this previously unidentified mode of TEI reveals a means by which parental mutations can modulate the offspring's transcriptome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Jiang
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI), Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Mohamed A. El-Brolosy
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Vahan Serobyan
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI), Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Jordan M. Welker
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Nicholas Retzer
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Christopher M. Dooley
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Gabrielius Jakutis
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Thomas Juan
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Nana Fukuda
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Hans-Martin Maischein
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Darius Balciunas
- Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Life Sciences Centre, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Didier Y.R. Stainier
- Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Department of Developmental Genetics, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI), Bad Nauheim, Germany
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12
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Moon N, Morgan C, Bale TL. Cross Talk proposal: The kids will be fine: parental stress rodent models are good for assessing influences on human neurobiology. J Physiol 2022; 600:4409-4411. [PMID: 36184259 PMCID: PMC10091642 DOI: 10.1113/jp282409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nickole Moon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
| | | | - Tracy L Bale
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA
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13
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Ashapkin V, Suvorov A, Pilsner JR, Krawetz SA, Sergeyev O. Age-associated epigenetic changes in mammalian sperm: implications for offspring health and development. Hum Reprod Update 2022; 29:24-44. [PMID: 36066418 PMCID: PMC9825272 DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmac033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Modern reproductive behavior in most developed countries is characterized by delayed parenthood. Older gametes are generally less fertile, accumulating and compounding the effects of varied environmental exposures that are modified by lifestyle factors. Clinicians are primarily concerned with advanced maternal age, while the influence of paternal age on fertility, early development and offspring health remains underappreciated. There is a growing trend to use assisted reproductive technologies for couples of advanced reproductive age. Thus, the number of children born from older gametes is increasing. OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE We review studies reporting age-associated epigenetic changes in mammals and humans in sperm, including DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs. The interplay between environment, fertility, ART and age-related epigenetic signatures is explored. We focus on the association of sperm epigenetics on epigenetic and phenotype events in embryos and offspring. SEARCH METHODS Peer-reviewed original and review articles over the last two decades were selected using PubMed and the Web of Science for this narrative review. Searches were performed by adopting the two groups of main terms. The first group included 'advanced paternal age', 'paternal age', 'postponed fatherhood', 'late fatherhood', 'old fatherhood' and the second group included 'sperm epigenetics', 'sperm', 'semen', 'epigenetic', 'inheritance', 'DNA methylation', 'chromatin', 'non-coding RNA', 'assisted reproduction', 'epigenetic clock'. OUTCOMES Age is a powerful factor in humans and rodent models associated with increased de novo mutations and a modified sperm epigenome. Age affects all known epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation, histone modifications and profiles of small non-coding (snc)RNA. While DNA methylation is the most investigated, there is a controversy about the direction of age-dependent changes in differentially hypo- or hypermethylated regions with advanced age. Successful development of the human sperm epigenetic clock based on cross-sectional data and four different methods for DNA methylation analysis indicates that at least some CpG exhibit a linear relationship between methylation levels and age. Rodent studies show a significant overlap between genes regulated through age-dependent differentially methylated regions and genes targeted by age-dependent sncRNA. Both age-dependent epigenetic mechanisms target gene networks enriched for embryo developmental, neurodevelopmental, growth and metabolic pathways. Thus, age-dependent changes in the sperm epigenome cannot be described as a stochastic accumulation of random epimutations and may be linked with autism spectrum disorders. Chemical and lifestyle exposures and ART techniques may affect the epigenetic aging of sperm. Although most epigenetic modifications are erased in the early mammalian embryo, there is growing evidence that an altered offspring epigenome and phenotype is linked with advanced paternal age due to the father's sperm accumulating epigenetic changes with time. It has been hypothesized that age-induced changes in the sperm epigenome are profound, physiological and dynamic over years, yet stable over days and months, and likely irreversible. WIDER IMPLICATIONS This review raises a concern about delayed fatherhood and age-associated changes in the sperm epigenome that may compromise reproductive health of fathers and transfer altered epigenetic information to subsequent generations. Prospective studies using healthy males that consider confounders are recommended. We suggest a broader discussion focused on regulation of the father's age in natural and ART conceptions is needed. The professional community should be informed and should raise awareness in the population and when counseling older men.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - J Richard Pilsner
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Stephen A Krawetz
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA,Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA
| | - Oleg Sergeyev
- Correspondence address. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskye Gory, House 1, Building 40, Room 322, Moscow 119992, Russia. E-mail: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5745-3348
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14
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Bernardino T, Carvalho CPT, Batissaco L, Celeghini ECC, Zanella AJ. Poor welfare compromises testicle physiology in breeding boars. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268944. [PMID: 35617350 PMCID: PMC9135237 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In commercial pig breeding farms, boars are often exposed to stressful situations, such as confined housing conditions, inadequate environmental temperature, food restriction, lameness, diseases, among other challenges. Confined housing conditions, such as crates, are reported as a major source of stress for pregnant sows, and were banned in the UK and in Europe, however there is limited information about the impact of this housing system for boars. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of three different housing conditions for boars and the consequence on the testicles. We studied 27 crossbred boars (F1 large white and landrace), housed in crates (n = 9), pens (n = 9), or enriched pens (n = 9), during 10 weeks. We collected data of scrotal superficies mean temperature (SSMT) with a thermal camera; we measured testicular parenchyma perfusion (ultrasound evaluation); and we measured sperm characteristics. We found that boars housed in crates had a higher SSMT (p < 0.05) and higher testicular parenchyma perfusion than boars housed in pens and enriched pens (p = 0.01). Regarding the semen features, we found that boars housed in crates showed more agglutinated semen, and higher values of linear curved linear velocity (VCL) than boars housed in pens and enriched pens, both indicators of reduced fertility. These results indicates that boars housed in pens and in enriched pens showed better indicators of testicular health, better sperm motility features (VCL, p = 0.046), and less agglutinated sperm (p < 0;05) than that observed in boars kept in crates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago Bernardino
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
- Programa de Mestrado em Medicina Veterinária e Doutorado em Saúde Única, Universidade de Santo Amaro, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
- * E-mail:
| | - Carla Patricia Teodoro Carvalho
- Laboratory of Semen Biotechnology and Andrology–Center of Biotechnology in Animal Reproduction, Department of Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Batissaco
- Laboratory of Teaching and Research in Pathology of Reproduction, Department of Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Eneiva Carla Carvalho Celeghini
- Laboratory of Teaching and Research in Pathology of Reproduction, Department of Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
| | - Adroaldo José Zanella
- Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil
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15
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Montjean D, Neyroud AS, Yefimova MG, Benkhalifa M, Cabry R, Ravel C. Impact of Endocrine Disruptors upon Non-Genetic Inheritance. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23063350. [PMID: 35328771 PMCID: PMC8950994 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23063350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Similar to environmental factors, EDCs (endocrine-disrupting chemicals) can influence gene expression without modifying the DNA sequence. It is commonly accepted that the transgenerational inheritance of parentally acquired traits is conveyed by epigenetic alterations also known as “epimutations”. DNA methylation, acetylation, histone modification, RNA-mediated effects and extracellular vesicle effects are the mechanisms that have been described so far to be responsible for these epimutations. They may lead to the transgenerational inheritance of diverse phenotypes in the progeny when they occur in the germ cells of an affected individual. While EDC-induced health effects have dramatically increased over the past decade, limited effects on sperm epigenetics have been described. However, there has been a gain of interest in this issue in recent years. The gametes (sperm and oocyte) represent targets for EDCs and thus a route for environmentally induced changes over several generations. This review aims at providing an overview of the epigenetic mechanisms that might be implicated in this transgenerational inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debbie Montjean
- Fertilys Fertility Center, 1950 Rue Maurice-Gauvin #103, Laval, QC H7S 1Z5, Canada;
- Correspondence: (D.M.); (C.R.)
| | - Anne-Sophie Neyroud
- CHU de Rennes, Département de Gynécologie Obstétrique et Reproduction Humaine-CECOS, Hôpital Sud, 16 Boulevard de Bulgarie, 35000 Rennes, France;
| | - Marina G. Yefimova
- Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 194223 St-Petersburg, Russia;
| | - Moncef Benkhalifa
- Fertilys Fertility Center, 1950 Rue Maurice-Gauvin #103, Laval, QC H7S 1Z5, Canada;
- Médecine et Biologie de la Reproduction, CECOS de Picardie, CHU Amiens, 80054 Amiens, France;
- UFR de Médecine, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80054 Amiens, France
- Peritox, Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80054 Amiens, France
| | - Rosalie Cabry
- Médecine et Biologie de la Reproduction, CECOS de Picardie, CHU Amiens, 80054 Amiens, France;
- UFR de Médecine, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80054 Amiens, France
- Peritox, Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, 80054 Amiens, France
| | - Célia Ravel
- CHU de Rennes, Département de Gynécologie Obstétrique et Reproduction Humaine-CECOS, Hôpital Sud, 16 Boulevard de Bulgarie, 35000 Rennes, France;
- CHU Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail)—UMR_S 1085, University Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France
- Correspondence: (D.M.); (C.R.)
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16
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Duarte-Silva E, Oriá AC, Mendonça IP, de Melo MG, Paiva IHR, Maes M, Joca SRL, Peixoto CA. TINY IN SIZE, BIG IN IMPACT: EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES AS MODULATORS OF MOOD, ANXIETY AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104582. [PMID: 35182538 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) are tiny vesicles used by cells as means of cellular communication, through which the function and state of a given cell can be changed. A body of evidence has suggested that EVs could be culprits in the development and progression of various types of diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Unsurprisingly, EVs have also been implicate in mood, anxiety and neurodevelopmental disorders, such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), anxiety disorder and Autism-Spectrum Disorder (ASD), respectively. Here, we review the state-of-art regarding the roles of EVs in the aforementioned diseases and focus on the mechanisms by which they can cause and worsen disease. Harnessing the knowledge of EVs is not only important to deliver different cargos to cells in a specific manner to treat these diseases, but also to establish reliable disease biomarkers, which will aid in the early disease diagnosis and treatment, increasing the chance of successful treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Duarte-Silva
- Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Recife, PE, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Biosciences and Biotechnology for Health (PPGBBS), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ-PE)/Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Recife, PE, Brazil; Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Recife, PE, Brazil; Department of Neurology, Medical Faculty, University Hospital Düsseldorf, 40255 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | | | - Ingrid Prata Mendonça
- Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Recife, PE, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Biological Sciences (PPGCB), Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Michel Gomes de Melo
- Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Recife, PE, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Biological Sciences (PPGCB), Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Igor Henrique R Paiva
- Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Recife, PE, Brazil; Postgraduate Program in Biological Sciences (PPGCB), Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil
| | - Michael Maes
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria; IMPACT Strategic Research Center, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Sâmia R L Joca
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP), University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil; Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Christina Alves Peixoto
- Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Aggeu Magalhães Institute (IAM), Recife, PE, Brazil; National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation (INCT-NIM, CNPq), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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17
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Spry EA, Letcher P, Patton GC, Sanson AV, Olsson CA. The developmental origins of stress reactivity: an intergenerational life-course perspective. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2021.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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18
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Dahlen CR, Borowicz PP, Ward AK, Caton JS, Czernik M, Palazzese L, Loi P, Reynolds LP. Programming of Embryonic Development. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:11668. [PMID: 34769097 PMCID: PMC8583791 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Assisted reproductive techniques (ART) and parental nutritional status have profound effects on embryonic/fetal and placental development, which are probably mediated via "programming" of gene expression, as reflected by changes in their epigenetic landscape. Such epigenetic changes may underlie programming of growth, development, and function of fetal organs later in pregnancy and the offspring postnatally, and potentially lead to long-term changes in organ structure and function in the offspring as adults. This latter concept has been termed developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD), or simply developmental programming, which has emerged as a major health issue in animals and humans because it is associated with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases in the offspring, including metabolic, behavioral, and reproductive dysfunction. In this review, we will briefly introduce the concept of developmental programming and its relationship to epigenetics. We will then discuss evidence that ART and periconceptual maternal and paternal nutrition may lead to epigenetic alterations very early in pregnancy, and how each pregnancy experiences developmental programming based on signals received by and from the dam. Lastly, we will discuss current research on strategies designed to overcome or minimize the negative consequences or, conversely, to maximize the positive aspects of developmental programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl R. Dahlen
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA; (C.R.D.); (P.P.B.); (A.K.W.); (J.S.C.)
| | - Pawel P. Borowicz
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA; (C.R.D.); (P.P.B.); (A.K.W.); (J.S.C.)
| | - Alison K. Ward
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA; (C.R.D.); (P.P.B.); (A.K.W.); (J.S.C.)
| | - Joel S. Caton
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA; (C.R.D.); (P.P.B.); (A.K.W.); (J.S.C.)
| | - Marta Czernik
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.); (P.L.)
| | - Luca Palazzese
- Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Jastrzębiec, 05-552 Magdalenka, Poland;
| | - Pasqualino Loi
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, 64100 Teramo, Italy; (M.C.); (P.L.)
| | - Lawrence P. Reynolds
- Center for Nutrition and Pregnancy, Department of Animal Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58108, USA; (C.R.D.); (P.P.B.); (A.K.W.); (J.S.C.)
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19
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Sun J, Zhao Y, He J, Zhou Q, El-Ashram S, Yuan S, Chi S, Qin J, Huang Z, Ye M, Huang S, Li Z. Small RNA expression patterns in seminal plasma exosomes isolated from semen containing spermatozoa with cytoplasmic droplets versus regular exosomes in boar semen. Theriogenology 2021; 176:233-243. [PMID: 34673403 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.09.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Multiple physiological pathways are controlled by exosomes. Exosomes may be found in seminal plasma where they carry functional molecules to the sperm, such as microRNAs (miRNAs). Sperm cytoplasmic droplets (CDs) are remnants of cytoplasm, and their migration is a morphological characteristic of epididymal maturation. However, miRNA expression patterns in seminal plasma exosomes found in semen containing spermatozoa with CDs versus regular exosomes in boar semen have not been examined. In this study, seminal plasma exosomes were isolated from semen containing spermatozoa with CDs and miRNA expression profiles were analyzed. A total of 348 known and 206 new miRNAs were identified. Sixteen miRNAs were significantly differentially expressed. Of these, 13 miRNAs (ssc-miR-101, ssc-miR-148a-5p, ssc-miR-184, ssc-miR-202-3p, ssc-miR-221-5p, ssc-miR-2483, ssc-miR-29a-3p, ssc-miR-29c, ssc-miR-31, ssc-miR-362, ssc-miR-500-5p, ssc-miR-542-3p, and ssc-miR-769-5p) were significantly upregulated, whereas three miRNAs (ssc-miR-1249, ssc-miR-155-5p, and ssc-miR-296-5p) were significantly downregulated. GO and KEGG pathway analyses showed that these targeted genes were enriched for functions such as metabolic process, reproductive process, proteasome, ubiquitin mediated proteolysis, and oxidative phosphorylation. Therefore, seminal plasma exosomes are predicted to play a key role in the regulation of sperm CDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingshuai Sun
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China
| | - Yunxiang Zhao
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China.
| | - Jian He
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China
| | - Qingbin Zhou
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China
| | - Saeed El-Ashram
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China; Faculty of Science, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr El-Sheikh, 33516, Egypt
| | - Sheng Yuan
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China
| | - Shihong Chi
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China
| | - Jiali Qin
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China
| | - Zongyang Huang
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China
| | - Manqing Ye
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China
| | - Shujian Huang
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China
| | - Zhili Li
- College of Life Science and Engineering, Foshan University, 18 Jiangwan Street, Foshan, 528231, Guangdong province, China.
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20
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Merrill SM, Moore SR, Gladish N, Giesbrecht GF, Dewey D, Konwar C, MacIssac JL, Kobor MS, Letourneau NL. Paternal adverse childhood experiences: Associations with infant DNA methylation. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22174. [PMID: 34333774 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), or cumulative childhood stress exposures, such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, predict later health problems in both the exposed individuals and their offspring. One potential explanation suggests exposure to early adversity predicts epigenetic modification, especially DNA methylation (DNAm), linked to later health. Stress experienced preconception by mothers may associate with DNAm in the next generation. We hypothesized that fathers' exposure to ACEs also associates with their offspring DNAm, which, to our knowledge, has not been previously explored. An epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of blood DNAm (n = 45) from 3-month-old infants was regressed onto fathers' retrospective ACEs at multiple Cytosine-phosphate-Guanosine (CpG) sites to discover associations. This accounted for infants' sex, age, ethnicity, cell type proportion, and genetic variability. Higher ACE scores associated with methylation values at eight CpGs. Post-hoc analysis found no contribution of paternal education, income, marital status, and parental postpartum depression, but did with paternal smoking and BMI along with infant sleep latency. These same CpGs also contributed to the association between paternal ACEs and offspring attention problems at 3 years. Collectively, these findings suggested there were biological associations with paternal early life adversity and offspring DNAm in infancy, potentially affecting offspring later childhood outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Merrill
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sarah R Moore
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicole Gladish
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Gerald F Giesbrecht
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Deborah Dewey
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Chaini Konwar
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Julia L MacIssac
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Program in Child and Brain Development, CIFAR, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nicole L Letourneau
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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21
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Duffy KA, Bale TL, Epperson CN. Germ Cell Drivers: Transmission of Preconception Stress Across Generations. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:642762. [PMID: 34322003 PMCID: PMC8311293 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.642762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to stress can accelerate maturation and hasten reproduction. Although potentially adaptive, the trade-off is higher risk for morbidity and mortality. In humans, the intergenerational effects of stress have been demonstrated, but the precise mechanisms are unknown. Strikingly, even if parental stress occurs prior to conception, as adults, their offspring show worse mental and physical health. Emerging evidence primarily from preclinical models suggests that epigenetic programming may encode preconception stress exposures in germ cells, potentially impacting the phenotype of the offspring. In this narrative review, we evaluate the strength of the evidence for this mechanism across animals and humans in both males and females. The strongest evidence comes from studies of male mice, in which paternal preconception stress is associated with a host of phenotypic changes in the offspring and stress-induced changes in the small non-coding RNA content in sperm have been implicated. Two recent studies in men provide evidence that some small non-coding RNAs in sperm are responsive to past and current stress, including some of the same ones identified in mice. Although preliminary evidence suggests that findings from mice may map onto men, the next steps will be (1) considering whether stress type, severity, duration, and developmental timing affect germ cell epigenetic markers, (2) determining whether germ cell epigenetic markers contribute to disease risk in the offspring of stress-exposed parents, and (3) overcoming methodological challenges in order to extend this research to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Korrina A. Duffy
- Colorado Center for Women’s Behavioral Health and Wellness, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Tracy L. Bale
- Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, Department of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - C. Neill Epperson
- Colorado Center for Women’s Behavioral Health and Wellness, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Center for Women’s Health Research, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
- Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, United States
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22
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Auboeuf D. The Physics-Biology continuum challenges darwinism: Evolution is directed by the homeostasis-dependent bidirectional relation between genome and phenotype. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 167:121-139. [PMID: 34097984 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2021.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The physics-biology continuum relies on the fact that life emerged from prebiotic molecules. Here, I argue that life emerged from the coupling between nucleic acid and protein synthesis during which proteins (or proto-phenotypes) maintained the physicochemical parameter equilibria (or proto-homeostasis) in the proximity of their encoding nucleic acids (or proto-genomes). This protected the proto-genome physicochemical integrity (i.e., atomic composition) from environmental physicochemical constraints, and therefore increased the probability of reproducing the proto-genome without variation. From there, genomes evolved depending on the biological activities they generated in response to environmental fluctuations. Thus, a genome maintaining homeostasis (i.e., internal physicochemical parameter equilibria), despite and in response to environmental fluctuations, maintains its physicochemical integrity and has therefore a higher probability to be reproduced without variation. Consequently, descendants have a higher probability to share the same phenotype than their parents. Otherwise, the genome is modified during replication as a consequence of the imbalance of the internal physicochemical parameters it generates, until new mutation-deriving biological activities maintain homeostasis in offspring. In summary, evolution depends on feedforward and feedback loops between genome and phenotype, as the internal physicochemical conditions that a genome generates ─ through its derived phenotype in response to environmental fluctuations ─ in turn either guarantee its stability or direct its variation. Evolution may not be explained by the Darwinism-derived, unidirectional principle (random mutations-phenotypes-natural selection) but rather by the bidirectional relationship between genome and phenotype, in which the phenotype in interaction with the environment directs the evolution of the genome it derives from.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didier Auboeuf
- ENS de Lyon, Univ Claude Bernard, CNRS UMR 5239, INSERM U1210, Laboratory of Biology and Modelling of the Cell, 46 Allée D'Italie, Site Jacques Monod, F-69007, Lyon, France.
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Chen M, Xu Y, Wang W, Wang X, Qiu L, Chen S, Kan H, Ying Z. Paternal Exposure to PM 2.5 Programs Offspring's Energy Homeostasis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:6097-6106. [PMID: 33825453 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c08161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Considerable studies show that maternal exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) programs offspring's susceptibility to obesity. However, few studies have investigated the effect of paternal PM2.5 exposure on offspring's energy homeostasis. This study thus tested whether paternal PM2.5 exposure programs offspring's energy homeostasis. Male C57Bl/6J mice were exposed to filtered air or concentrated ambient PM2.5 (CAP) for 12 weeks and then mated with normal female C57Bl/6J mice. The offspring were assessed for growth trajectories, food intakes, and body compositions, and the sperm miRNAs of those sires were profiled by microarray. Zygotic injection was used to test whether the miRNA identified by the microarray mediates the impact of paternal PM2.5 exposure on offspring's energy homeostasis. Paternal CAP exposure resulted in significant hypophagia and weight loss in male, but not female, offspring. The weight loss of male offspring was accompanied by decreases in the liver and kidney masses and paradoxically an increase in the adipose mass. Without further exposure to CAP, this programming was three-generationally transmitted along the paternal line. The sperm miRNA profiling revealed that mmu-mir6909-5p was the sole differentially expressed sperm miRNA due to PM2.5 exposure, and zygotic injection of mmu-mir6909-5p mimicked all the effects of paternal PM2.5 exposure on offspring's energy homeostasis. Paternal PM2.5 exposure programs offspring's energy homeostasis through increasing paternal sperm mmu-mir6909-5p.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minjie Chen
- Department of Medicine Cardiology Division, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Yanyi Xu
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Wanjun Wang
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xiaoke Wang
- Department of Medicine Cardiology Division, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Lianglin Qiu
- Department of Medicine Cardiology Division, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
| | - Sufang Chen
- Department of Medicine Cardiology Division, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
- Department of Endocrinology, The People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University (Henan Provincial People's Hospital), Zhengzhou, Henan 450003, China
| | - Haidong Kan
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zhekang Ying
- Department of Medicine Cardiology Division, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21201, United States
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Chen Q, Holt WV. Extracellular vesicles in the male reproductive tract of the softshell turtle. Reprod Fertil Dev 2021; 33:519-529. [PMID: 33715768 DOI: 10.1071/rd20214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous group of cell-derived membranous structures comprising exosomes and microvesicles that originate from the endosomal system or are shed from the plasma membrane respectively. As mediators of cell communication, EVs are present in biological fluids and are involved in many physiological and pathological processes. The role of EVs has been extensively investigated in the mammalian male reproductive tract, but the characteristics and identification of EVs in reptiles are still largely unknown. In this review we focus our attention on EVs and their distribution in the male reproductive tract of the Chinese softshell turtle Pelodiscus sinensis , mainly discussing the potential roles of EVs in intercellular communication during different phases of the reproductive process. In softshell turtles, Sertoli-germ cell communication via multivesicular bodies can serve as a source of EVs during spermatogenesis, and these EVs interact with epithelia of the ductuli efferentes and the principal cells of the epididymal epithelium. These EVs are involved in sperm maturation, transport and storage. EVs are also shed by telocytes, which contact and exchange information with other, as well as distant interstitial cells. Overall, EVs play an indispensable role in the normal reproductive function of P. sinensis and can be used as an excellent biomarker for understanding male fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiusheng Chen
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210095, China; and Corresponding author
| | - William V Holt
- Academic Unit of Reproductive and Developmental Medicine, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
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Ozkocer SE, Konac E. The current perspective on genetic and epigenetic factors in sperm maturation in the epididymis. Andrologia 2021; 53:e13989. [PMID: 33491190 DOI: 10.1111/and.13989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Male infertility affects approximately 30% of infertile couples. As spermatozoa mature in the epididymal lumen, their potential for mobility increases, and their protein, lipid and small RNA (sRNA) content changes, whereas capacitation and fertilisation take place in the female reproductive tract. Both of the latter processes are affected by maturation, because impaired maturation causes premature capacitation and fertilization. The epididymis produces a suitable environment for sperm maturation via ion transport, vesicle secretion and protein matrix formation. The microenvironment for sperm maturation varies in three broad segments: the caput, the corpus and the cauda epididymis. Epididymosomes transfer proteins, lipids and sRNAs from the epididymal epithelium to spermatozoa and genetic alterations of epididymal genes can lead to decreased sperm motility, morphological abnormalities of spermatozoa and subfertility. Genetic factors are involved in all aetiological categories in male infertility. However, studies conducted on the genes involved in epididymal functions are limited. The sRNA content of spermatozoa changes during epididymal migration, and these sRNAs play a role in embryo development and epigenetic inheritance. This review aims to clarify the role of the epididymal epithelium in the maturation of spermatozoa in light of the current molecular genomic knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suheyla Esra Ozkocer
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Gazi University, Besevler, Ankara, Turkey.,Faculty of Medicine, Department of Histology and Embryology, Gazi University, Besevler, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Ece Konac
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Gazi University, Besevler, Ankara, Turkey
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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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Nixon B, Cafe SL, Eamens AL, De Iuliis GN, Bromfield EG, Martin JH, Skerrett-Byrne DA, Dun MD. Molecular insights into the divergence and diversity of post-testicular maturation strategies. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 517:110955. [PMID: 32783903 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Competition to achieve paternity has coerced the development of a multitude of male reproductive strategies. In one of the most well-studied examples, the spermatozoa of all mammalian species must undergo a series of physiological changes as they transit the male (epididymal maturation) and female (capacitation) reproductive tracts prior to realizing their potential to fertilize an ovum. However, the origin and adaptive advantage afforded by these intricate processes of post-testicular sperm maturation remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we review literature pertaining to the nature and the physiological role of epididymal maturation and subsequent capacitation in comparative vertebrate taxa including representative species from the avian, reptilian, and mammalian lineages. Such insights are discussed in terms of the framework they provide for helping to understand the evolutionary significance of post-testicular sperm maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett Nixon
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Discipline of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Pregnancy and Reproduction Program, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia.
| | - Shenae L Cafe
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Discipline of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Pregnancy and Reproduction Program, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Andrew L Eamens
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Discipline of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Pregnancy and Reproduction Program, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Geoffry N De Iuliis
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Discipline of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Pregnancy and Reproduction Program, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Elizabeth G Bromfield
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Discipline of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Pregnancy and Reproduction Program, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Jacinta H Martin
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Discipline of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Pregnancy and Reproduction Program, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - David A Skerrett-Byrne
- Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, Discipline of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Hunter Medical Research Institute, Pregnancy and Reproduction Program, New Lambton Heights, NSW, Australia
| | - Matthew D Dun
- Cancer Signalling Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia; Priority Research Centre for Cancer Research Innovation and Translation, Hunter Medical Research Institute, Lambton, NSW, 2305, Australia
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Morgan CP, Shetty AC, Chan JC, Berger DS, Ament SA, Epperson CN, Bale TL. Repeated sampling facilitates within- and between-subject modeling of the human sperm transcriptome to identify dynamic and stress-responsive sncRNAs. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17498. [PMID: 33060642 PMCID: PMC7562703 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73867-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [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: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological studies from the last century have drawn strong associations between paternal life experiences and offspring health and disease outcomes. Recent studies have demonstrated sperm small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) populations vary in response to diverse paternal insults. However, for studies in retrospective or prospective human cohorts to identify changes in paternal germ cell epigenetics in association with offspring disease risk, a framework must first be built with insight into the expected biological variation inherent in human populations. In other words, how will we know what to look for if we don't first know what is stable and what is dynamic, and what is consistent within and between men over time? From sperm samples from a 'normative' cohort of healthy human subjects collected repeatedly from each subject over 6 months, 17 healthy male participants met inclusion criteria and completed donations and psychological evaluations of perceived stress monthly. sncRNAs (including miRNA, piRNA, and tRNA) isolated from mature sperm from these samples were subjected to Illumina small RNA sequencing, aligned to subtype-specific reference transcriptomes, and quantified. The repeated measures design allowed us to define both within- and between-subject variation in the expression of 254 miRNA, 194 tRNA, and 937 piRNA in sperm over time. We developed screening criteria to identify a subset of potential environmentally responsive 'dynamic' sperm sncRNA. Implementing complex modeling of the relationships between individual dynamic sncRNA and perceived stress states in these data, we identified 5 miRNA (including let-7f-5p and miR-181a-5p) and 4 tRNA that are responsive to the dynamics of prior stress experience and fit our established mouse model. In the current study, we aligned repeated sampling of human sperm sncRNA expression data with concurrent measures of perceived stress as a novel framework that can now be applied across a range of studies focused on diverse environmental factors able to influence germ cell programming and potentially impact offspring development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher P Morgan
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Amol C Shetty
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Jennifer C Chan
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Dara S Berger
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Seth A Ament
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - C Neill Epperson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, CU-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Tracy L Bale
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
- Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Center for Epigenetic Research in Child Health and Brain Development, HSF3, Room 9-171, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 670 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.
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Marrocco J, Einhorn NR, McEwen BS. Environmental epigenetics of sex differences in the brain. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2020; 175:209-220. [PMID: 33008526 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-64123-6.00015-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Experiences throughout the life course lead to unique phenotypes even among those with the same genotype. Genotype sets the substrate on which physiologic processes, which communicate with the brain, mediate the effects of life experiences via epigenetics. Epigenetics modify the expression of genes in the brain and body in response to circulating hormones and other mediators, which are activated to facilitate survival responses through a process called allostasis. Epigenetic signatures can even be inherited, resulting in transgenerational effects. This chapter addresses epigenetics in the context of sex differences, discussing the intersection between genetics and gonadal hormones and their effect in the brain at discrete developmental periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Marrocco
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, United States.
| | - Nathan R Einhorn
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Bruce S McEwen
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, United States
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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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31
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Augereau N, Lagdas I, Kermarrec S, Gicquel L, Martin V, Xavier J, Cohen D, Bouvet M, Rolland AC, Tordjman S. Premigration social adversity and autism spectrum disorder. BJPsych Open 2020; 6:e92. [PMID: 32807250 PMCID: PMC7453802 DOI: 10.1192/bjo.2020.56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several studies suggest significant relationships between migration and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but there are discrepant results. Given that no studies to date have included a pathological control group, the specificity of the results in ASD can be questioned. AIMS To compare the migration experience (premigration, migratory trip, postmigration) in ASD and non-ASD pathological control groups, and study the relationships between migration and autism severity. METHOD Parents' and grandparents' migrant status was compared in 30 prepubertal boys with ASD and 30 prepubertal boys without ASD but with language disorders, using a questionnaire including Human Development Index (HDI)/Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) of native countries. Autism severity was assessed using the Child Autism Rating Scale, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised scales. RESULTS The parents' and grandparents' migrant status frequency did not differ between ASD and control groups and was not associated with autism severity. The HDI/IHDI values of native countries were significantly lower for parents and grandparents of children with ASD compared with the controls, especially for paternal grandparents. Furthermore, HDI/IDHI levels from the paternal line (father and especially paternal grandparents) were significantly negatively correlated with autism severity, particularly for social interaction impairments. CONCLUSIONS In this study, parents' and/or grandparents' migrant status did not discriminate ASD and pathological control groups and did not contribute either to autism severity. However, the HDI/IHDI results suggest that social adversity-related stress experienced in native countries, especially by paternal grandparents, is potentially a traumatic experience that may play a role in ASD development. A 'premigration theory of autism' is then proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natacha Augereau
- Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent de Rennes (PHUPEA), Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier (CHGR) and Université de Rennes 1, France
| | - Ines Lagdas
- School of Medicine of Rabat, University of Rabat, Marrocco; and PHUPEA, CHGR and Université de Rennes 1, France
| | | | - Ludovic Gicquel
- Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Centre Hospitalier Henri Laborit and Université de Poitiers, Unité de Recherche Clinique, CAPS, Poitiers, France
| | - Virginie Martin
- Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Centre Hospitalier Henri Laborit; and Université de Poitiers, Unité de Recherche Clinique, CAPS, France
| | - Jean Xavier
- Centre Hospitalier Spécialisé Henri Laborit, Poitiers; and CNRS UMR 7295 Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l'Apprentissage, Poitiers, France
| | - David Cohen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, AP-HP, GH Pitié-Salpétrière, CNRS FRE 2987, University Pierre and Marie Curie, France
| | - Michel Bouvet
- Service Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent de Reims, Pôle Femme-Parents-Enfant, France
| | - Anne-Catherine Rolland
- Service Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent de Reims, Pôle Femme-Parents-Enfant, France
| | - Sylvie Tordjman
- Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent (PHUPEA), Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier (CHGR) and Université de Rennes 1; and Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center (INCC), CNRS UMR 8002 and Université de Paris, France
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da Cruz RS, Chen E, Smith M, Bates J, de Assis S. Diet and Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance of Breast Cancer: The Role of the Paternal Germline. Front Nutr 2020; 7:93. [PMID: 32760734 PMCID: PMC7373741 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2020.00093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The past decade has made evident that in addition to passing their genetic material at conception, parents also transmit a molecular memory of past environmental experiences, including nutritional status, to their progeny through epigenetic mechanisms. In the 1990s, it was proposed that breast cancer originates in utero. Since then, an overwhelming number of studies in human cohorts and animal models have provided support for that hypothesis. It is becoming clear, however, that exposure in the parent generation can lead to multigenerational and transgenerational inheritance of breast cancer. Importantly, recent data from our lab and others show that pre-conception paternal diets reprogram the male germline and modulate breast cancer development in offspring. This review explores the emerging evidence for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of breast cancer focusing on studies associated with ancestral nutritional factors or related markers such as birth weight. We also explore paternal factors and the epigenetic mechanisms of inheritance through the male germline while also reviewing the existing literature on maternal exposures in pregnancy and its effects on subsequent generations. Finally, we discuss the importance of this mode of inheritance in the context of breast cancer prevention, the challenges, and outstanding research questions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Santana da Cruz
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Elaine Chen
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Megan Smith
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Jaedus Bates
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Sonia de Assis
- Department of Oncology, Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
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Li CJ, Fang QH, Liu ML, Lin JN. Current understanding of the role of Adipose-derived Extracellular Vesicles in Metabolic Homeostasis and Diseases: Communication from the distance between cells/tissues. Am J Cancer Res 2020; 10:7422-7435. [PMID: 32642003 PMCID: PMC7330853 DOI: 10.7150/thno.42167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) including exosomes, microvesicles (MVs), and apoptotic bodies, are small membrane vesicular structures that are released during cell activation, senescence, or programmed cell death, including apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis. EVs serve as novel mediators for long-distance cell-to-cell communications and can transfer various bioactive molecules, such as encapsulated cytokines and genetic information from their parental cells to distant target cells. In the context of obesity, adipocyte-derived EVs are implicated in metabolic homeostasis serving as novel adipokines. In particular, EVs released from brown adipose tissue or adipose-derived stem cells may help control the remolding of white adipose tissue towards browning and maintaining metabolic homeostasis. Interestingly, EVs may even serve as mediators for the transmission of metabolic dysfunction across generations. Also, EVs have been recognized as novel modulators in various metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. In this review, we summarize the latest progress from basic and translational studies regarding the novel effects of EVs on metabolic diseases. We also discuss EV-mediated cross-talk between adipose tissue and other organs/tissues that are relevant to obesity and metabolic diseases, as well as the relevant mechanisms, providing insight into the development of new therapeutic strategies in obesity and metabolic diseases.
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Franzago M, Santurbano D, Vitacolonna E, Stuppia L. Genes and Diet in the Prevention of Chronic Diseases in Future Generations. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21072633. [PMID: 32290086 PMCID: PMC7178197 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21072633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Nutrition is a modifiable key factor that is able to interact with both the genome and epigenome to influence human health and fertility. In particular, specific genetic variants can influence the response to dietary components and nutrient requirements, and conversely, the diet itself is able to modulate gene expression. In this context and the era of precision medicine, nutrigenetic and nutrigenomic studies offer significant opportunities to improve the prevention of metabolic disturbances, such as Type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, even with transgenerational effects. The present review takes into account the interactions between diet, genes and human health, and provides an overview of the role of nutrigenetics, nutrigenomics and epigenetics in the prevention of non-communicable diseases. Moreover, we focus our attention on the mechanism of intergenerational or transgenerational transmission of the susceptibility to metabolic disturbances, and underline that the reversibility of epigenetic modifications through dietary intervention could counteract perturbations induced by lifestyle and environmental factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marica Franzago
- Department of Medicine and Aging, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, ‘G. d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), ‘G. d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
| | | | - Ester Vitacolonna
- Department of Medicine and Aging, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, ‘G. d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), ‘G. d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Liborio Stuppia
- Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), ‘G. d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
- Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, ‘G. d’Annunzio’ University of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy
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Tyebji S, Hannan AJ, Tonkin CJ. Pathogenic Infection in Male Mice Changes Sperm Small RNA Profiles and Transgenerationally Alters Offspring Behavior. Cell Rep 2020; 31:107573. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.107573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
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Abstract
BACKGROUND Sevoflurane administered to neonatal rats induces neurobehavioral abnormalities and epigenetic reprogramming of their germ cells; the latter can pass adverse effects of sevoflurane to future offspring. As germ cells are susceptible to reprogramming by environmental factors across the lifespan, the authors hypothesized that sevoflurane administered to adult rats could induce neurobehavioral abnormalities in future offspring, but not in the exposed rats themselves. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with 2.1% sevoflurane for 3 h every other day between postnatal days 56 and 60. Twenty-five days later, exposed rats and nonexposed controls were mated to produce offspring. RESULTS Adult male but not female offspring of exposed parents of either sex exhibited deficiencies in elevated plus maze (mean ± SD, offspring of both exposed parents vs. offspring of control parents, 35 ± 12 vs. 15 ± 15 s, P < 0.001) and prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle (offspring of both exposed parents vs. offspring of control parents, 46.504 ± 13.448 vs. 25.838 ± 22.866%, P = 0.009), and increased methylation and reduced expression of the potassium ion-chloride ion cotransporter KCC2 gene (Kcc2) in the hypothalamus. Kcc2 was also hypermethylated in sperm and ovary of the exposed rats. Surprisingly, exposed male rats also exhibited long-term abnormalities in functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal and -adrenal axes, reduced expression of hypothalamic and hippocampal Kcc2, and deficiencies in elevated plus maze (sevoflurane vs. control, 40 ± 24 vs. 25 ± 12 s, P = 0.038) and prepulse inhibition of startle (sevoflurane vs. control, 39.905 ± 21.507 vs. 29.193 ± 24.263%, P < 0.050). CONCLUSIONS Adult sevoflurane exposure affects brain development in male offspring by epigenetically reprogramming both parental germ cells, while it induces neuroendocrine and behavioral abnormalities only in exposed males. Sex steroids may be required for mediation of the adverse effects of adult sevoflurane in exposed males.
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Matthews SG. Parental adversity: Impact across generations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 117:279-280. [PMID: 32194130 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephen G Matthews
- Department of Physiology, Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Sinai Health System, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Kekäläinen J, Jokiniemi A, Janhunen M, Huuskonen H. Offspring phenotype is shaped by the nonsperm fraction of semen. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:584-594. [PMID: 31984576 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In a large majority of animal species, the only contribution of males to the next generation has been assumed to be their genes (sperm). However, along with sperm, seminal plasma contains a wide array of extracellular factors that have many important functions in reproduction. Yet, the potential intergenerational effects of these factors are virtually unknown. We investigated these effects in European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) by experimentally manipulating the presence and identity of seminal plasma and by fertilizing the eggs of multiple females with the manipulated and unmanipulated semen of several males in a full-factorial breeding design. The presence of both own seminal plasma and foreign seminal plasma inhibited sperm motility, and the removal of own seminal plasma decreased embryo survival. Embryos hatched significantly earlier after both semen manipulations than in control fertilizations; foreign seminal plasma also increased offspring aerobic swimming performance. Given that our experimental design allowed us to control potentially confounding sperm-mediated (sire) effects and maternal effects, our results indicate that seminal plasma may have direct intergenerational consequences for offspring phenotype and performance. This novel source of offspring phenotypic variance may provide new insights into the evolution of polyandry and mechanisms that maintain heritable variation in fitness and associated female mating preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jukka Kekäläinen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Annalaura Jokiniemi
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Matti Janhunen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Joensuu, Finland
| | - Hannu Huuskonen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
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Bodden C, Hannan AJ, Reichelt AC. Diet-Induced Modification of the Sperm Epigenome Programs Metabolism and Behavior. Trends Endocrinol Metab 2020; 31:131-149. [PMID: 31744784 DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2019.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 10/10/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Globally, obesity has reached epidemic proportions. The rapidly increasing numbers of overweight people can be traced back to overconsumption of energy-dense, poor-quality foods as well as physical inactivity. This development has far-reaching and costly implications. Not only is obesity associated with serious physiological and psychological complications, but mounting evidence also indicates a ripple effect through generations via epigenetic changes. Parental obesity could induce intergenerational and transgenerational changes in metabolic and brain function of the offspring. Most research has focused on maternal epigenetic and gestational effects; however, paternal contributions are likely to be substantial. We focus on the latest advances in understanding the mechanisms of epigenetic inheritance of obesity-evoked metabolic and neurobiological changes through the paternal germline that predict wide-ranging consequences for the following generation(s).
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Bodden
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010 VIC, Australia.
| | - Anthony J Hannan
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010 VIC, Australia; Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010 VIC, Australia.
| | - Amy C Reichelt
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, 3010 VIC, Australia; BrainsCAN, Western Interdisciplinary Research Building, Western University, London, ON, Canada; Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, N6A 3K7 ON, Canada
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Spadafora C. Transgenerational epigenetic reprogramming of early embryos: a mechanistic model. ENVIRONMENTAL EPIGENETICS 2020; 6:dvaa009. [PMID: 32704385 PMCID: PMC7368376 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvaa009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The notion that epigenetic information can be transmitted across generations is supported by mounting waves of data, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, a model is proposed which combines different lines of experimental evidence. First, it has been shown that somatic tissues exposed to stressing stimuli release circulating RNA-containing extracellular vesicles; second, epididymal spermatozoa can take up, internalize and deliver the RNA-containing extracellular vesicles to oocytes at fertilization; third, early embryos can process RNA-based information. These elements constitute the building blocks upon which the model is built. The model proposes that a continuous stream of epigenetic information flows from parental somatic tissues to the developing embryos. The flow can cross the Weismann barrier, is mediated by circulating vesicles and epididymal spermatozoa, and has the potential to generate epigenetic traits that are then stably acquired in the offspring. In a broader perspective, it emerges that a natural 'assembly line' operates continuously, aiming at passing the parental epigenetic blueprint in growing embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corrado Spadafora
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council (CNR), 100 Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence address. Institute of Translational Pharmacology, National Research Council (CNR), 100 Via del Fosso del Cavaliere, 00133 Rome, Italy. Tel: +39 0649917536; Fax: +39 064457529; E-mail: ;
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Golub MS, Sobin CA. Statistical modeling with litter as a random effect in mixed models to manage "intralitter likeness". Neurotoxicol Teratol 2019; 77:106841. [PMID: 31863841 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2019.106841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
"Intralitter likeness," the possibility that the shared genetics and/or maternal environment in multiparous species causes strong similarity for outcome variables in littermates, violates a core statistical assumption, that of observation independence, when littermate outcomes are analyzed. Intralitter likeness has been of major concern to investigators for several decades. Despite consensus and guidance, many research reports in the rodent literature continue to ignore intralitter likeness. A historical review of the literature revealed that the long-preferred solution was to include litter as an effect in statistical models. Limitations in software development and computing capacity prior to 1990, however, appear to have led researchers and guidance authorities to endorse instead the method of using one value per litter. Here, the history of discussions regarding intralitter likeness in developmental neurotoxicological research is reviewed; growing knowledge regarding the biological bases and significance of intralitter likeness is discussed; principles underlying the use of litter as a random effect in mixed models are presented; statistical examples are provided illustrating the advantages and critical importance of including litter as a random effect in mixed models; and results using all data points (all pups from all litters) with litter as a random effect, are compared to results based on random selections of representative littermates. Mixed models with litter included as a random effect have distinct advantages for the analysis of clustered data. Modern computing capacity provides ready accessibility to mixed models for all researchers. Accessibility however does not preclude the need for appropriate expertise and consultation in the use of mixed (hierarchical) models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari S Golub
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Christina A Sobin
- College of Health Sciences, University of Texas EL Paso, El Paso, TX, United States of America; Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, United States of America.
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Franzago M, La Rovere M, Guanciali Franchi P, Vitacolonna E, Stuppia L. Epigenetics and human reproduction: the primary prevention of the noncommunicable diseases. Epigenomics 2019; 11:1441-1460. [PMID: 31596147 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2019-0163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic regulation of gene expression plays a key role in affecting human health and diseases with particular regard to human reproduction. The major concern in this field is represented by the epigenetic modifications in the embryo and the increased risk of long-life disorders induced by the use of assisted reproduction techniques, able to affect the epigenetic assessment in the first steps of embryo development. In this review, we analyze the correlation between epigenetic modifications and human reproduction, suggesting that the reversibility of the epigenetic processes could represent a novel resource for the treatment of the couple's infertility and that parental lifestyle in periconceptional period could be considered as an important issue of primary prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marica Franzago
- Department of Medicine & Aging, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, 'G. d'Annunzio' University, Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Center for Aging Studies & Translational Medicine (CESI-MET), 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Marina La Rovere
- Department of Psychological, Health & Territorial Sciences, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Paolo Guanciali Franchi
- Department of Medical, Oral & Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Ester Vitacolonna
- Department of Medicine & Aging, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, 'G. d'Annunzio' University, Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Liborio Stuppia
- Center for Aging Studies & Translational Medicine (CESI-MET), 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.,Department of Psychological, Health & Territorial Sciences, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, 'G. d'Annunzio' University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
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Sharma U. Paternal Contributions to Offspring Health: Role of Sperm Small RNAs in Intergenerational Transmission of Epigenetic Information. Front Cell Dev Biol 2019; 7:215. [PMID: 31681757 PMCID: PMC6803970 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2019.00215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The most fundamental process for the perpetuation of a species is the transfer of information from parent to offspring. Although genomic DNA contributes to the majority of the inheritance, it is now clear that epigenetic information −information beyond the underlying DNA sequence − is also passed on to future generations. However, the mechanism and extent of such inheritance are not well-understood. Here, I review some of the concepts, evidence, and mechanisms of intergenerational epigenetic inheritance via sperm small RNAs. Recent studies provide evidence that mature sperm are highly abundant in small non-coding RNAs. These RNAs are modulated by paternal environmental conditions and potentially delivered to the zygote at fertilization, where they can regulate early embryonic development. Intriguingly, sperm small RNA payload undergoes dramatic changes during testicular and post-testicular maturation, making the mature sperm epigenome highly unique and distinct from testicular germ cells. I explore the mechanism of sperm small RNA remodeling during post-testicular maturation in the epididymis, and the potential role of this reprograming in intergenerational epigenetic inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Upasna Sharma
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States
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Prenatal and postnatal contributions of the maternal microbiome on offspring programming. Front Neuroendocrinol 2019; 55:100797. [PMID: 31574280 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The maternal microbiota is positioned to regulate the development of offspring immunity, metabolism, as well as brain function and behavior. The mechanisms by which maternal microbial signals drive these processes are beginning to be elucidated. In this review, we provide a brief overview on the importance of the microbiome in brain function and behavior, define the maternal vaginal and gut microbiota as distinct influences on offspring development, and outline current concepts in microbial origins of offspring health outcomes. We propose that the maternal microbiota influences prenatal and early postnatal offspring development and health outcomes through two overlapping processes. First, during pregnancy maternal gut microbiota provide metabolites and substrates essential for fetal growth through metabolic provisioning, driving expansion and maturation of central and peripheral immune cells, and formation of neural circuits. Second, vertical transmission of maternal microbiota during birth and in the early postnatal window elicits a potent immunostimulatory effect in offspring that induces metabolic and developmental transcriptional programs, primes the immune system for subsequent microbial exposure, and provides substrates for brain metabolism. Finally, we explore the possibility that environmental factors, such as malnutrition, stress and infection, may exert programmatic effects by disrupting the functional contributions of the maternal microbiome during prenatal and postnatal development to influence offspring outcomes across the lifespan.
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Jazwiec PA, Sloboda DM. Nutritional adversity, sex and reproduction: 30 years of DOHaD and what have we learned? J Endocrinol 2019; 242:T51-T68. [PMID: 31013473 DOI: 10.1530/joe-19-0048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
It is well established that early life environmental signals, including nutrition, set the stage for long-term health and disease risk - effects that span multiple generations. This relationship begins early, in the periconceptional period and extends into embryonic, fetal and early infant phases of life. Now known as the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), this concept describes the adaptations that a developing organism makes in response to early life cues, resulting in adjustments in homeostatic systems that may prove maladaptive in postnatal life, leading to an increased risk of chronic disease and/or the inheritance of risk factors across generations. Reproductive maturation and function is similarly influenced by early life events. This should not be surprising, since primordial germ cells are established early in life and thus vulnerable to early life adversity. A multitude of 'modifying' cues inducing developmental adaptations have been identified that result in changes in reproductive development and impairments in reproductive function. Many types of nutritional challenges including caloric restriction, macronutrient excess and micronutrient insufficiencies have been shown to induce early life adaptations that produce long-term reproductive dysfunction. Many pathways have been suggested to underpin these associations, including epigenetic reprogramming of germ cells. While the mechanisms still remain to be fully investigated, it is clear that a lifecourse approach to understanding lifetime reproductive function is necessary. Furthermore, investigations of the impacts of early life adversity must be extended to include the paternal environment, especially in epidemiological and clinical studies of offspring reproductive function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrycja A Jazwiec
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- The Farncombe Family Digestive Diseases Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | - Deborah M Sloboda
- Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- The Farncombe Family Digestive Diseases Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
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McEwen BS. Prenatal Programming of Neuropsychiatric Disorders: An Epigenetic Perspective Across the Lifespan. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 85:91-93. [PMID: 30573051 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bruce S McEwen
- Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York.
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