Acquired sperm hypomethylation by gestational arsenic exposure is re-established in both the paternal and maternal genomes of post-epigenetic reprogramming embryos.

ABSTRACT:

Background

DNA methylation plays a crucial role in mammalian development. While methylome changes acquired in the parental genomes are believed to be erased by epigenetic reprogramming, accumulating evidence suggests that methylome changes in sperm caused by environmental factors are involved in the disease phenotypes of the offspring. These findings imply that acquired sperm methylome changes are transferred to the embryo after epigenetic reprogramming. However, our understanding of this process remains incomplete. Our previous study showed that arsenic exposure of F0 pregnant mice paternally increased tumor incidence in F2 offspring. The sperm methylome of arsenic-exposed F1 males exhibited characteristic features, including enrichment of hypomethylated cytosines at the promoters

SUBMITTER: Nohara K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11737231 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature