Pollution induces epigenetic effects that are stably transmitted across multiple generations.

ABSTRACT: It has been hypothesized that the effects of pollutants on phenotypes can be passed to subsequent generations through epigenetic inheritance, affecting populations long after the removal of a pollutant. But there is still little evidence that pollutants can induce persistent epigenetic effects in animals. Here, we show that low doses of commonly used pollutants induce genome-wide differences in cytosine methylation in the freshwater crustacean Daphnia pulex. Uniclonal populations were either continually exposed to pollutants or switched to clean water, and methylation was compared to control populations that did not experience pollutant exposure. Although some direct changes to methylation were only present in the continually exposed populations, others were present in both the cont

SUBMITTER: Harney E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8966472 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature