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Abdelnour SA, Naiel MAE, Said MB, Alnajeebi AM, Nasr FA, Al-Doaiss AA, Mahasneh ZMH, Noreldin AE. Environmental epigenetics: Exploring phenotypic plasticity and transgenerational adaptation in fish. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 252:118799. [PMID: 38552831 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Epigenetics plays a vital role in the interaction between living organisms and their environment by regulating biological functions and phenotypic plasticity. Considering that most aquaculture activities take place in open or natural habitats that are vulnerable to environmental changes. Promising findings from recent research conducted on various aquaculture species have provided preliminary evidence suggesting a link between epigenetic mechanisms and economically valuable characteristics. Environmental stressors, including climate changes (thermal stress, hypoxia, and water salinity), anthropogenic impacts such as (pesticides, crude oil pollution, nutritional impacts, and heavy metal) and abiotic factors (infectious diseases), can directly trigger epigenetic modifications in fish. While experiments have confirmed that many epigenetic alterations caused by environmental factors have plastic responses, some can be permanently integrated into the genome through genetic integration and promoting rapid transgenerational adaptation in fish. These environmental factors might cause irregular DNA methylation patterns in genes related to many biological events leading to organs dysfunction by inducing alterations in genes related to oxidative stress or apoptosis. Moreover, these environmental issues alter DNA/histone methylation leading to decreased reproductive competence. This review emphasizes the importance of understanding the effects of environmentally relevant issues on the epigenetic regulation of phenotypic variations in fish. The goal is to expand our knowledge of how epigenetics can either facilitate or hinder species' adaptation to these adverse conditions. Furthermore, this review outlines the areas that warrant further investigation in understanding epigenetic reactions to various environmental issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sameh A Abdelnour
- Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt.
| | - Mohammed A E Naiel
- Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt
| | - Mourad Ben Said
- Laboratory of Microbiology, National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, Manouba, 2010, Tunisia; Department of Basic Sciences, Higher Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, Manouba, 2010, Tunisia
| | - Afnan M Alnajeebi
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fahd A Nasr
- Biology Department, College of Science, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11623, Saudi Arabia
| | - Amin A Al-Doaiss
- Biology Department, College of Science, King Khalid University, P.O. Box 9004, Abha, 61413, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zeinab M H Mahasneh
- Department of Animal Production, School of Agriculture, The University of Jordan, Amman, 11942, Jordan
| | - Ahmed E Noreldin
- Department of Histology and Cytology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Damanhour University, Damanhour, 22511, Egypt
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Pierron F, Daramy F, Heroin D, Daffe G, Barré A, Bouchez O, Nikolski M. Sex-specific DNA methylation and transcription of zbtb38 and effects of gene-environment interactions on its natural antisense transcript in zebrafish. Epigenetics 2023; 18:2260963. [PMID: 37782752 PMCID: PMC10547075 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2023.2260963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence for the involvement of epigenetics in sex determination, maintenance, and plasticity, from plants to humans. In our previous work, we reported a transgenerational feminization of a zebrafish population for which the first generation was exposed to cadmium, a metal with endocrine disrupting effects. In this study, starting from the previously performed whole methylome analysis, we focused on the zbtb38 gene and hypothesized that it could be involved in sex differentiation and Cd-induced offspring feminization. We observed sex-specific patterns of both DNA methylation and RNA transcription levels of zbtb38. We also discovered that the non-coding exon 3 of zbtb38 encodes for a natural antisense transcript (NAT). The activity of this NAT was found to be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Furthermore, increasing transcription levels of this NAT in parental gametes was highly correlated with offspring sex ratios. Since zbtb38 itself encodes for a transcription factor that binds methylated DNA, our results support a non-negligible role of zbtb38 not only in orchestrating the sex-specific transcriptome (i.e., sex differentiation) but also, via its NAT, offspring sex ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Flore Daramy
- Univ Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, Pessac, France
| | | | | | - Aurélien Barré
- Univ Bordeaux, Bordeaux Bioinformatics Center, Bordeaux, France
| | - Olivier Bouchez
- INRAE, US 1426, GeT-PlaGe, Genotoul, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Macha Nikolski
- Univ Bordeaux, Bordeaux Bioinformatics Center, Bordeaux, France
- Univ Bordeaux, CNRS, IBGC, Bordeaux, France
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Pierron F, Daffe G, Daramy F, Heroin D, Barré A, Bouchez O, Clérendeau C, Romero-Ramirez A, Nikolski M. Transgenerational endocrine disruptor effects of cadmium in zebrafish and contribution of standing epigenetic variation to adaptation. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2023; 455:131579. [PMID: 37163897 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.131579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Evidence has emerged that environmentally-induced epigenetic changes can have long-lasting effects on gene transcription across generations. These recent findings highlight the need to investigate the transgenerational impacts of pollutants to assess their long term effects on populations. In this study, we investigated the transgenerational effect of cadmium on zebrafish across 4 generations. A first whole methylome approach carried out on fish of the first two generations led us to focus our investigations on the estradiol receptor alpha gene (esr1). We observed a sex-dependent transgenerational inheritance of Cd-induced DNA methylation changes up to the last generation. These changes were associated with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were themselves at the origin of the creation or deletion of methylation sites. Thus, Cd-induced genetic selection gave rise to DNA methylation changes. We also analyzed the transcription level of various sections of esr1 as well as estrogen responsive genes. While Cd triggered transgenerational disorders, Cd-induced epigenetic changes in esr1 contributed to the rapid transgenerational adaptation of fish to Cd. Our results provide insight into the processes underpinning rapid adaptation and highlight the need to maintain genetic diversity within natural populations to bolster the resilience of species faced with the global environmental changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Pierron
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33600 Pessac, France.
| | - Guillemine Daffe
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INRAE, La Rochelle Univ., UMS 2567 POREA, F-33615 Pessac, France
| | - Flore Daramy
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Débora Heroin
- Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, EPOC, UMR 5805, F-33600 Pessac, France
| | - Aurélien Barré
- Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux Bioinformatics Center, Bordeaux, France
| | - Olivier Bouchez
- INRAE, US 1426, GeT-PlaGe, Genotoul, Castanet-Tolosan, 31326, France
| | | | | | - Macha Nikolski
- Univ. Bordeaux, Bordeaux Bioinformatics Center, Bordeaux, France; Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, IBGC, UMR 5095, Bordeaux 33077, France
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