Metabolomics,Unknown,Transcriptomics,Genomics,Proteomics

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Propogation of anxiety-traits through the maternal line via parallel and segregated gametic and non-gametic epigenetic mechanisms

ABSTRACT: Maternal stress, anxiety, and depression increase the risk of psychiatric disorders in the progeny. These maternal effects can extend beyond the first generation and affect the grandchildren. In contrast to paternal, maternal effects can impact the offspring not only during gametogenesis, but also through fetal and early-postnatal life, increasing phenotypic complexity and the overall impact. To better understand its non-genetic structure, we dissected a complex maternally-transmitted phenotype to elementary behaviors and their corresponding transmission mechanisms. Chronic stress and depression are associated with reduced serotonin1A receptor (5-HT1AR) levels, and we reported that 5-HT1AR+/- dams transmit anxiety/stress-reactivity traits to their wild-type offspring. Here we show that the maternal effect is propagated to multiple generations, and that the behavioral traits are not transmitted in unison, but rather via parallel and segregated mechanisms, each with generation-dependent penetrance and gender specificity. The ârisk-avoidanceâ and âhypoactivityâ traits of anxiety were transmitted, via a neuro-immune pathway, consecutively from mother to the wild-type F1, F2, and occasionally F3 generation by iterative non-gametic-programming, while the âincreased stress-reactivityâ trait was transmitted to the F2 generation by gametic-programming. Iterative non-gametic-programming of anxiety was linked, via gene expression changes and clustered DNA hypo/hypermethylation at intragenic enhancers, to sphingolipid metabolism and GPCRs in the F1/F2 hippocampus, suggesting dysregulated lipid raft functioning/transmembrane signaling. Conversely, gametic-programming of behavior was predominantly associated with hypomethylation at different promoter-enhancing sequences within a set of genes with diverse neuronal functions. Since differential methylation appeared only postnatally in F2 neurons and was absent in F3 neurons, it is secondary to earlier F2 gametic changes that survive reprogramming in the early embryo, but are erased in F3 germ-cells. Our data introduce parallel and segregated non-genetic transmission of traits as a mechanism that may explain the propagation and pleiotropy of complex behavioral and psychiatric disease phenotypes across generations. Compared three generations of male offspring from wild-type and 5HT1A-R-/+ Swiss Webster mothers with two replicates per sample. Included as well is F2 embryo transfer from wild-type and het parents in wild-type surogates

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

SUBMITTER: Shifra Klein

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-68713 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress

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Project description:Maternal stress, anxiety, and depression increase the risk of psychiatric disorders in the progeny. These maternal effects can extend beyond the first generation and affect the grandchildren. In contrast to paternal, maternal effects can impact the offspring not only during gametogenesis, but also through fetal and early-postnatal life, increasing phenotypic complexity and the overall impact. To better understand its non-genetic structure, we dissected a complex maternally-transmitted phenotype to elementary behaviors and their corresponding transmission mechanisms. Chronic stress and depression are associated with reduced serotonin1A receptor (5-HT1AR) levels, and we reported that 5-HT1AR+/- dams transmit anxiety/stress-reactivity traits to their wild-type offspring. Here we show that the maternal effect is propagated to multiple generations, and that the behavioral traits are not transmitted in unison, but rather via parallel and segregated mechanisms, each with generation-dependent penetrance and gender specificity. The “risk-avoidance” and “hypoactivity” traits of anxiety were transmitted, via a neuro-immune pathway, consecutively from mother to the wild-type F1, F2, and occasionally F3 generation by iterative non-gametic-programming, while the “increased stress-reactivity” trait was transmitted to the F2 generation by gametic-programming. Iterative non-gametic-programming of anxiety was linked, via gene expression changes and clustered DNA hypo/hypermethylation at intragenic enhancers, to sphingolipid metabolism and GPCRs in the F1/F2 hippocampus, suggesting dysregulated lipid raft functioning/transmembrane signaling. Conversely, gametic-programming of behavior was predominantly associated with hypomethylation at different promoter-enhancing sequences within a set of genes with diverse neuronal functions. Since differential methylation appeared only postnatally in F2 neurons and was absent in F3 neurons, it is secondary to earlier F2 gametic changes that survive reprogramming in the early embryo, but are erased in F3 germ-cells. Our data introduce parallel and segregated non-genetic transmission of traits as a mechanism that may explain the propagation and pleiotropy of complex behavioral and psychiatric disease phenotypes across generations.

Project description:A number of environmental factors (e.g. toxicants) have been shown to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease and phenotypic variation. Transgenerational inheritance requires the germline transmission of altered epigenetic information between generations in the absence of direct environmental exposures. The primary periods for epigenetic programming of the germ line are those associated with primordial germ cell development and subsequent fetal germline development. The current study examined the actions of an agricultural fungicide vinclozolin on gestating female (F0 generation) progeny in regards to the primordial germ cell (PGC) epigenetic reprogramming of the F3 generation (i.e. great-grandchildren). The F3 generation germline transcriptome and epigenome (DNA methylation) were altered transgenerationally. Interestingly, disruptions in DNA methylation patterns and altered transcriptomes were distinct between germ cells at the onset of gonadal sex determination at embryonic day 13 (E13) and after cord formation in the testis at embryonic day 16 (E16). A larger number of DNA methylation abnormalities (epimutations) and transcriptional alterations were observed in the E13 germ cells than in the E16 germ cells. These observations indicate that altered transgenerational epigenetic reprogramming and function of the male germline is a component of vinclozolin induced epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease. Insights into the molecular control of germline transmitted epigenetic inheritance are provided. The F0 generation females were exposed to a vehicle (dimethylsulfoxide DMSO) as control or to vinclozolin, as described in the Methods. The F1 generation offspring were bred to generate the F2 generation and the F2 generation offspring were bred to generate the F3 generation offspring. The timed pregnant F2 generation females were used to isolate the F3 generation control and vinclozolin lineage fetal gonads at the E13 and E16 time points. The F3 generation E13 PGC and E16 prospermatogonia were isolated. DNA was isolated from the freshly isolated cells to examine DNA methylation by methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) followed by analysis on a genome-wide promoter tiling array (Chip) using a comparative hybridization MeDIP-Chip analysis between control and vinclozolin lineage samples as described in Methods. This allowed a comparison of the epigenome alterations in F3 vinclozolin lineage germ cells at E13 and E16. Three separate experimental comparisons of control and vinclozolin-lineage animals involving different germ cell isolations were analyzed with three different MeDIP-Chip analyses at each time point.

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Propogation of anxiety-traits through the maternal line via parallel and segregated gametic and non-gametic epigenetic mechanisms

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