Sperm epigenetic alterations contribute to inter- and transgenerational effects of paternal exposure to long-term psychological stress via evading offspring embryonic reprogramming.

ABSTRACT: Paternal life experiences impact offspring health via germline, and epigenetic inheritance provides a potential mechanism. However, global reprogramming during offspring embryogenesis and gametogenesis represents the largest hurdle to conceptualize it. Yet, detailed characterization of how sperm epigenetic alterations carrying "environmental memory" can evade offspring embryonic reprogramming remains elusive. Here, mice exposed to long-term restraint stress were employed to study the mechanisms underlying inter- and transgenerational effects of paternal exposure to a long-term psychological stress. We found that stress could induce paternal inheritance of reproductive, behavioral, and metabolic disorders. Bisulfite methylation profiling of 18 sperm and 12 embryo samples of three consecutiv

SUBMITTER: Zheng X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8553786 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature