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Schrott R, Feinberg JI, Newschaffer CJ, Hertz-Picciotto I, Croen LA, Fallin MD, Volk HE, Ladd-Acosta C, Feinberg AP. Exposure to air pollution is associated with DNA methylation changes in sperm. Environ Epigenet 2024; 10:dvae003. [PMID: 38559770 PMCID: PMC10980975 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvae003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to air pollutants has been associated with adverse health outcomes in adults and children who were prenatally exposed. In addition to reducing exposure to air pollutants, it is important to identify their biologic targets in order to mitigate the health consequences of exposure. One molecular change associated with prenatal exposure to air pollutants is DNA methylation (DNAm), which has been associated with changes in placenta and cord blood tissues at birth. However, little is known about how air pollution exposure impacts the sperm epigenome, which could provide important insights into the mechanism of transmission to offspring. In the present study, we explored whether exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter, particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), or ozone (O3) was associated with DNAm in sperm contributed by participants in the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation prospective pregnancy cohort. Air pollution exposure measurements were calculated as the average exposure for each pollutant measured within 4 weeks prior to the date of sample collection. Using array-based genome-scale methylation analyses, we identified 80, 96, 35, and 67 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) significantly associated with particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter, particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter, NO2, and O3, respectively. While no DMRs were associated with exposure to all four pollutants, we found that genes overlapping exposure-related DMRs had a shared enrichment for gene ontology biological processes related to neurodevelopment. Together, these data provide compelling support for the hypothesis that paternal exposure to air pollution impacts DNAm in sperm, particularly in regions implicated in neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Schrott
- Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Jason I Feinberg
- Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Craig J Newschaffer
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16802, USA
| | - Irva Hertz-Picciotto
- Department of Public Health Sciences, MIND (Medical Investigations of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Lisa A Croen
- Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
| | - M Daniele Fallin
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Heather E Volk
- Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Christine Ladd-Acosta
- Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Andrew P Feinberg
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Center for Epigenetics, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Feinberg JI, Schrott R, Ladd-Acosta C, Newschaffer CJ, Hertz-Picciotto I, Croen LA, Daniele Fallin M, Feinberg AP, Volk HE. Epigenetic changes in sperm are associated with paternal and child quantitative autistic traits in an autism-enriched cohort. Mol Psychiatry 2023:10.1038/s41380-023-02046-7. [PMID: 37100868 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02046-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
There is a need to consider paternal contributions to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) more strongly. Autism etiology is complex, and heritability is not explained by genetics alone. Understanding paternal gametic epigenetic contributions to autism could help fill this knowledge gap. In the present study, we explored whether paternal autistic traits, and the sperm epigenome, were associated with autistic traits in children at 36 months enrolled in the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI) cohort. EARLI is a pregnancy cohort that recruited and enrolled pregnant women in the first half of pregnancy who already had a child with ASD. After maternal enrollment, EARLI fathers were approached and asked to provide a semen specimen. Participants were included in the present study if they had genotyping, sperm methylation data, and Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) score data available. Using the CHARM array, we performed genome-scale methylation analyses on DNA from semen samples contributed by EARLI fathers. The SRS-a 65-item questionnaire measuring social communication deficits on a quantitative scale-was used to evaluate autistic traits in EARLI fathers (n = 45) and children (n = 31). We identified 94 significant child SRS-associated differentially methylated regions (DMRs), and 14 significant paternal SRS-associated DMRs (fwer p < 0.05). Many child SRS-associated DMRs were annotated to genes implicated in ASD and neurodevelopment. Six DMRs overlapped across the two outcomes (fwer p < 0.1), and, 16 DMRs overlapped with previous child autistic trait findings at 12 months of age (fwer p < 0.05). Child SRS-associated DMRs contained CpG sites independently found to be differentially methylated in postmortem brains of individuals with and without autism. These findings suggest paternal germline methylation is associated with autistic traits in 3-year-old offspring. These prospective results for autism-associated traits, in a cohort with a family history of ASD, highlight the potential importance of sperm epigenetic mechanisms in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason I Feinberg
- Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rose Schrott
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christine Ladd-Acosta
- Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Craig J Newschaffer
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, College of Health and Human Development, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, USA
| | - Irva Hertz-Picciotto
- Department of Public Health Sciences, MIND (Medical Investigations of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Lisa A Croen
- Autism Research Program, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - M Daniele Fallin
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Andrew P Feinberg
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Center for Epigenetics, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Heather E Volk
- Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Schrott R, Song A, Ladd-Acosta C. Epigenetics as a Biomarker for Early-Life Environmental Exposure. Curr Environ Health Rep 2022; 9:604-624. [PMID: 35907133 DOI: 10.1007/s40572-022-00373-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW There is interest in evaluating the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) which emphasizes the role of prenatal and early-life environments on non-communicable health outcomes throughout the life course. The ability to rigorously assess and identify early-life risk factors for later health outcomes, including those with childhood onset, in large population samples is often limited due to measurement challenges such as impractical costs associated with prospective studies with a long follow-up duration, short half-lives for some environmental toxicants, and lack of biomarkers that capture inter-individual differences in biologic response to external environments. RECENT FINDINGS Epigenomic patterns, and DNA methylation in particular, have emerged as a potential objective biomarker to address some of these study design and exposure measurement challenges. In this article, we summarize the literature to date on epigenetic changes associated with specific prenatal and early-life exposure domains as well as exposure mixtures in human observational studies and their biomarker potential. Additionally, we highlight evidence for other types of epigenetic patterns to serve as exposure biomarkers. Evidence strongly supports epigenomic biomarkers of exposure that are detectable across the lifespan and across a range of exposure domains. Current and future areas of research in this field seek to expand these lines of evidence to other environmental exposures, to determine their specificity, and to develop predictive algorithms and methylation scores that can be used to evaluate early-life risk factors for health outcomes across the life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Schrott
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ashley Song
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christine Ladd-Acosta
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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Schrott R, Greeson KW, King D, Crow KMS, Easley CA, Murphy SK. Cannabis alters DNA methylation at maternally imprinted and autism candidate genes in spermatogenic cells. Syst Biol Reprod Med 2022; 68:357-369. [PMID: 35687495 PMCID: PMC10032331 DOI: 10.1080/19396368.2022.2073292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Cannabis use in the United States is increasing, with highest consumption among men at their peak reproductive years. We previously demonstrated widespread changes in sperm DNA methylation with cannabis exposure in humans and rats, including genes important in neurodevelopment. Here, we use an in vitro human spermatogenesis model to recapitulate chronic cannabis use and assess DNA methylation at imprinted and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) candidate genes in spermatogonial stem cell (SSC)- and spermatid-like cells. Methylation at maternally imprinted genes SGCE and GRB10 was significantly altered in SSC- and spermatid-like cells, respectively, while PEG3 was significantly differentially methylated in spermatid-like cells. Two of ten randomly selected ASD candidate genes, HCN1 and NR4A2, had significantly altered methylation with cannabis exposure in SSC-like cells. These results support our findings in human cohorts and provide a new tool with which to gain mechanistic insights into the association between paternal cannabis use and risk of ASD in offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Schrott
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
- Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
| | - Katherine W. Greeson
- Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Dillon King
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
- Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
| | - Krista M. Symosko Crow
- Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Charles A. Easley
- Department of Environmental Health Science, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Susan K. Murphy
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
- Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
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Keyhan S, Burke E, Schrott R, Huang Z, Grenier C, Price T, Raburn D, Corcoran DL, Soubry A, Hoyo C, Murphy SK. Male obesity impacts DNA methylation reprogramming in sperm. Clin Epigenetics 2021; 13:17. [PMID: 33494820 PMCID: PMC7831195 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-020-00997-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Male obesity has profound effects on morbidity and mortality, but relatively little is known about the impact of obesity on gametes and the potential for adverse effects of male obesity to be passed to the next generation. DNA methylation contributes to gene regulation and is erased and re-established during gametogenesis. Throughout post-pubertal spermatogenesis, there are continual needs to both maintain established methylation and complete DNA methylation programming, even during epididymal maturation. This dynamic epigenetic landscape may confer increased vulnerability to environmental influences, including the obesogenic environment, that could disrupt reprogramming fidelity. Here we conducted an exploratory analysis that showed that overweight/obesity (n = 20) is associated with differences in mature spermatozoa DNA methylation profiles relative to controls with normal BMI (n = 47). RESULTS We identified 3264 CpG sites in human sperm that are significantly associated with BMI (p < 0.05) using Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChips. These CpG sites were significantly overrepresented among genes involved in transcriptional regulation and misregulation in cancer, nervous system development, and stem cell pluripotency. Analysis of individual sperm using bisulfite sequencing of cloned alleles revealed that the methylation differences are present in a subset of sperm rather than being randomly distributed across all sperm. CONCLUSIONS Male obesity is associated with altered sperm DNA methylation profiles that appear to affect reprogramming fidelity in a subset of sperm, suggestive of an influence on the spermatogonia. Further work is required to determine the potential heritability of these DNA methylation alterations. If heritable, these changes have the potential to impede normal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanaz Keyhan
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27713, USA
| | - Emily Burke
- Department of Biostatistics, Duke University, Durham, 27710, USA
| | - Rose Schrott
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, 501 W. Main Street, Suite 510, The Chestefield Building, PO Box 90534, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.,Duke University Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, The Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Zhiqing Huang
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, 501 W. Main Street, Suite 510, The Chestefield Building, PO Box 90534, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
| | - Carole Grenier
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, 501 W. Main Street, Suite 510, The Chestefield Building, PO Box 90534, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
| | - Thomas Price
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27713, USA
| | - Doug Raburn
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27713, USA
| | - David L Corcoran
- Center for Genomics and Computational Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
| | - Adelheid Soubry
- Epidemiology Research Group, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven University, 2000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Catherine Hoyo
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27633, USA
| | - Susan K Murphy
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, 501 W. Main Street, Suite 510, The Chestefield Building, PO Box 90534, Durham, NC, 27701, USA. .,Duke University Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, The Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
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Schrott R, Murphy SK, Modliszewski JL, King DE, Hill B, Itchon-Ramos N, Raburn D, Price T, Levin ED, Vandrey R, Corcoran DL, Kollins SH, Mitchell JT. Refraining from use diminishes cannabis-associated epigenetic changes in human sperm. Environ Epigenet 2021; 7:dvab009. [PMID: 34557312 PMCID: PMC8455898 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvab009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Cannabis use alters sperm DNA methylation, but the potential reversibility of these changes is unknown. Semen samples from cannabis users and non-user controls were collected at baseline and again following a 77-day period of cannabis abstinence (one spermatogenic cycle). Users and controls did not significantly differ by demographics or semen analyses. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing identified 163 CpG sites with significantly different DNA methylation in sperm between groups (P < 2.94 × 10-9). Genes associated with altered CpG sites were enriched with those involved in development, including cardiogenesis and neurodevelopment. Many of the differences in sperm DNA methylation between groups were diminished after cannabis abstinence. These results indicate that sustained cannabis abstinence significantly reduces the number of sperm showing cannabis-associated alterations at genes important for early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Schrott
- Duke University Program in Environmental Health, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Drive, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Susan K Murphy
- *Correspondence address. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Sciences, The Chesterfield Building, 701 W. Main Street, Suite 510 Durham, NC 27701, USA Tel: +(919) 681-3423; E-mail:
| | - Jennifer L Modliszewski
- Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University Medical Center, 101 Science Drive, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Dillon E King
- Duke University Program in Environmental Health, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, 9 Circuit Drive, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Bendu Hill
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, 2608 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Nilda Itchon-Ramos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, 2608 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Douglas Raburn
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Duke University Medical Center, 5704 Fayetteville Road, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Thomas Price
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Duke University Medical Center, 5704 Fayetteville Road, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Edward D Levin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, 2608 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Ryan Vandrey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - David L Corcoran
- Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University Medical Center, 101 Science Drive, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Scott H Kollins
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, 2608 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, USA
| | - John T Mitchell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, 2608 Erwin Road, Durham, NC, USA
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Schrott R, Rajavel M, Acharya K, Huang Z, Acharya C, Hawkey A, Pippen E, Lyerly HK, Levin ED, Murphy SK. Sperm DNA methylation altered by THC and nicotine: Vulnerability of neurodevelopmental genes with bivalent chromatin. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16022. [PMID: 32994467 PMCID: PMC7525661 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72783-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Men consume the most nicotine and cannabis products but impacts on sperm epigenetics are poorly characterized. Evidence suggests that preconception exposure to these drugs alters offspring neurodevelopment. Epigenetics may in part facilitate heritability. We therefore compared effects of exposure to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and nicotine on DNA methylation in rat sperm at genes involved in neurodevelopment. Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing data from sperm of rats exposed to THC via oral gavage showed that seven neurodevelopmentally active genes were significantly differentially methylated versus controls. Pyrosequencing data revealed majority overlap in differential methylation in sperm from rats exposed to THC via injection as well as those exposed to nicotine. Neurodevelopmental genes including autism candidates are vulnerable to environmental exposures and common features may mediate this vulnerability. We discovered that autism candidate genes are significantly enriched for bivalent chromatin structure, suggesting this configuration may increase vulnerability of genes in sperm to disrupted methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Schrott
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Chesterfield Building, 701 W. Main Street, Suite 510, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.,Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Maya Rajavel
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Chesterfield Building, 701 W. Main Street, Suite 510, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
| | - Kelly Acharya
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Zhiqing Huang
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Chesterfield Building, 701 W. Main Street, Suite 510, Durham, NC, 27701, USA
| | - Chaitanya Acharya
- Division of Surgical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Center for Applied Therapeutics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Andrew Hawkey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Erica Pippen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - H Kim Lyerly
- Division of Surgical Sciences, Department of Surgery, Center for Applied Therapeutics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Edward D Levin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Susan K Murphy
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Chesterfield Building, 701 W. Main Street, Suite 510, Durham, NC, 27701, USA. .,Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. .,Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
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Schrott R, Murphy SK. Cannabis use and the sperm epigenome: a budding concern? Environ Epigenet 2020; 6:dvaa002. [PMID: 32211199 PMCID: PMC7081939 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvaa002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
The United States is swiftly moving toward increased legalization of medical and recreational cannabis. Currently considered the most commonly used illicit psychoactive drug, recreational cannabis is legal in 11 states and Washington, DC, and male use is an important and understudied concern. Questions remain, however, about the potential long-term consequences of this exposure and how cannabis might impact the epigenetic integrity of sperm in such a way that could influence the health and development of offspring. This review summarizes cannabis use and potency in the USA, provides a brief overview of DNA methylation as an epigenetic mechanism that is vulnerable in sperm to environmental exposures including cannabis, and summarizes studies that have examined the effects of parental exposure to cannabis or delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis) on the epigenetic profile of the gametes and behavior of offspring. These studies have demonstrated significant changes to the sperm DNA methylome following cannabis use in humans, and THC exposure in rats. Furthermore, the use of rodent models has shown methylation and behavioral changes in rats born to fathers exposed to THC or synthetic cannabinoids, or to parents who were both exposed to THC. These data substantiate an urgent need for additional studies assessing the effects of cannabis exposure on childhood health and development. This is especially true given the current growing state of cannabis use in the USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Schrott
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, The Chesterfield, 701 W. Main Street, Suite 510, Durham, NC 27701 USA
- Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Circuit Dr, Durham, NC 27710 USA
| | - Susan K Murphy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, The Chesterfield, 701 W. Main Street, Suite 510, Durham, NC 27701 USA
- Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Circuit Dr, Durham, NC 27710 USA
- Correspondence address: Duke University Medical Center, The Chesterfield, 701 W. Main Street, Suite 510, Durham, NC 27701, USA. Tel: 919-681-3423; Fax: 919-385-9358; E-mail:
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Schrott R, Acharya K, Itchon-Ramos N, Hawkey AB, Pippen E, Mitchell JT, Kollins SH, Levin ED, Murphy SK. Cannabis use is associated with potentially heritable widespread changes in autism candidate gene DLGAP2 DNA methylation in sperm. Epigenetics 2019; 15:161-173. [PMID: 31451081 PMCID: PMC6961656 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2019.1656158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental cannabis use has been associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring, but how such phenotypes are transmitted is largely unknown. Using reduced representation bisulphite sequencing (RRBS), we recently demonstrated that cannabis use is associated with widespread DNA methylation changes in human and rat sperm. Discs-Large Associated Protein 2 (DLGAP2), involved in synapse organization, neuronal signaling, and strongly implicated in autism, exhibited significant hypomethylation (p < 0.05) at 17 CpG sites in human sperm. We successfully validated the differential methylation present in DLGAP2 for nine CpG sites located in intron seven (p < 0.05) using quantitative bisulphite pyrosequencing. Intron 7 DNA methylation and DLGAP2 expression in human conceptal brain tissue were inversely correlated (p < 0.01). Adult male rats exposed to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) showed differential DNA methylation at Dlgap2 in sperm (p < 0.03), as did the nucleus accumbens of rats whose fathers were exposed to THC prior to conception (p < 0.05). Altogether, these results warrant further investigation into the effects of preconception cannabis use in males and the potential effects on subsequent generations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Schrott
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.,Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kelly Acharya
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Nilda Itchon-Ramos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Andrew B Hawkey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Erica Pippen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - John T Mitchell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Scott H Kollins
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Edward D Levin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Susan K Murphy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.,Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health Program, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Murphy SK, Itchon-Ramos N, Visco Z, Huang Z, Grenier C, Schrott R, Acharya K, Boudreau MH, Price TM, Raburn DJ, Corcoran DL, Lucas JE, Mitchell JT, McClernon FJ, Cauley M, Hall BJ, Levin ED, Kollins SH. Cannabinoid exposure and altered DNA methylation in rat and human sperm. Epigenetics 2018; 13:1208-1221. [PMID: 30521419 PMCID: PMC6986792 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2018.1554521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the reproductive effects of paternal cannabis exposure. We evaluated associations between cannabis or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure and altered DNA methylation in sperm from humans and rats, respectively. DNA methylation, measured by reduced representation bisulfite sequencing, differed in the sperm of human users from non-users by at least 10% at 3,979 CpG sites. Pathway analyses indicated Hippo Signaling and Pathways in Cancer as enriched with altered genes (Bonferroni p < 0.02). These same two pathways were also enriched with genes having altered methylation in sperm from THC-exposed versus vehicle-exposed rats (p < 0.01). Data validity is supported by significant correlations between THC exposure levels in humans and methylation for 177 genes, and substantial overlap in THC target genes in rat sperm (this study) and genes previously reported as having altered methylation in the brain of rat offspring born to parents both exposed to THC during adolescence. In humans, cannabis use was also associated with significantly lower sperm concentration. Findings point to possible pre-conception paternal reproductive risks associated with cannabis use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan K Murphy
- a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Nilda Itchon-Ramos
- b Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Zachary Visco
- a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Zhiqing Huang
- a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Carole Grenier
- a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Rose Schrott
- c Duke Nicholas School of the Environment , University Program in Environmental Health , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Kelly Acharya
- a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Marie-Helene Boudreau
- a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Thomas M Price
- a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Douglas J Raburn
- a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - David L Corcoran
- d Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Joseph E Lucas
- e Social Sciences Research Institute , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - John T Mitchell
- b Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - F Joseph McClernon
- b Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Marty Cauley
- f Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Brandon J Hall
- g Department of Surgery , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Edward D Levin
- b Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
| | - Scott H Kollins
- b Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Schrott
- University Program in Environmental Health, Duke Nicholas School of the Environment, and Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
| | - Susan K Murphy
- University Program in Environmental Health, Duke Nicholas School of the Environment, and Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC,Address correspondence to SKM (e-mail: )
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Mayer U, Schrott R. [The influence of cortisone upon the metabolism of surviving lens epithelia and iris tissue (author's transl)]. Albrecht Von Graefes Arch Klin Exp Ophthalmol 1976; 198:101-4. [PMID: 1083150 DOI: 10.1007/bf00411452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Warburg experiments showed the oxygen consumption by lens epithelium and iris tissue without and after addition of 4 mg methylprednisolone to 100 cc medium. In the last case the O2-uptake of the epithelium seemed diminished, that of the iris tissue showed significantly reduced to 50%. The determination of the consumption of glucose was done by measuring its level in the medium before and after a 5 day's incubation, without and after addition of 4 mg-% of methylprednisolone, by means of the "Merckotest". The consumption of the epithelia lowered to 1/6; contrarily rose that of the iris tissue significantly to the double amount. The metabolism of the iris tissue showed a good adaptation in compensating a lower respiratory activity by a augmented glycolysis, which is impossible to the lens epithelium. This may be one of the factors inducing a cortisonic cataract.
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