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Differential DNA methylation at conserved non-genic elements and transgenerational inheritance following developmental exposure to mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and 5-azacytidine in zebrafish

ABSTRACT: Background Exposure to environmental stressors during development may lead to latent and transgenerational adverse health effects. To understand the role of DNA methylation in these effects, we used zebrafish as a vertebrate model to investigate heritable changes in DNA methylation following chemical induced stress during early development. We exposed zebrafish embryos to non-embryotoxic concentrations of the biologically active phthalate metabolite mono-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP, 30 µM), and the DNA methyltransferase 1 inhibitor 5-azacytidine (5AC, 10 µM). Direct, latent and transgenerational effects on DNA methylation were assessed using global, genome wide and locus specific DNA methylation analyses. Results Following direct exposure in zebrafish embryos from 0 to 6 days post fertilization (dpf), genome wide analysis revealed a multitude of differentially methylated regions, strongly enriched at conserved non-genic elements for both compounds. Pathways involved in adipogenesis were enriched with the putative obesogenic compound MEHP. Exposure to 5AC resulted in enrichment of pathways involved in embryonic development, and transgenerational effects on larval body length. Locus specific methylation analysis of 10 differentially methylated sites revealed six of these loci differentially methylated in sperm sampled from adult zebrafish exposed during development to 5AC, and in first and second generation larvae. With MEHP consistent changes were found at 2 specific loci in first and second generation larvae. Conclusions Our results suggest a functional role for DNA methylation on cis-regulatory conserved elements following developmental exposure to compounds. Effects on these regions are potentially transferred to subsequent generations.

ORGANISM(S): Danio rerio

PROVIDER: GSE84736 | GEO | 2017/03/09

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA330967

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Environmental compounds are known to promote epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult onset disease in subsequent generations (F1M-bM-^@M-^SF3) following ancestral exposure during fetal gonadal sex determination. The current study was designed to determine if a mixture of plastic derived endocrine disruptor compounds bisphenol-A (BPA), bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) at two different doses promoted epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult onset disease and associated DNA methylation epimutations in sperm. Gestating F0 generation females were exposed to either the M-bM-^@M-^\plasticsM-bM-^@M-^] or M-bM-^@M-^\lower dose plasticsM-bM-^@M-^] mixture during embryonic days 8 to 14 of gonadal sex determination and the incidence of adult onset disease was evaluated in F1 and F3 generation rats. There were significant increases in the incidence of total disease/abnormalities in F1 and F3 generation male and female animals from plastics lineages. Pubertal abnormalities, testis disease, obesity, and ovarian disease (primary ovarian insufficiency and polycystic ovaries) were increased in the F3 generation animals. Kidney and prostate disease were only observed in the direct fetally exposed F1 generation plastic lineage animals. Analysis of the plastics lineage F3 generation sperm epigenome previously identified 197 differential DNA methylation regions (DMR) in gene promoters, termed epimutations. A number of these transgenerational DMR form a unique direct connection gene network and have previously been shown to correlate with the pathologies identified. Observations demonstrate that a mixture of plastic derived compounds, BPA and phthalates, can promote epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult onset disease. The sperm DMR provide potential epigenetic biomarkers for transgenerational disease and/or ancestral environmental exposures. Methylated sperm DNA was isolated from rats ancestrally exposed to plastics (Bip). Three independent samples from the treatment group were obtained. Differential DNA methylation between treatment groups was determined using Nimblegen microarrays. Treated samples were paired with control samples and hybridized together on arrays (Bip1/Cip1, Bip2/Cip2, and Bip3/Cip3), resulting in three arrays for the treatment.

Project description:DEHP study Phthalate plasticizers are ubiquitous chemicals linked to several cardiovascular diseases in animal models and in humans. In spite of this, the mechanisms by which phthalate exposures cause adverse cardiac health outcomes are unclear. In particular, whether phthalate exposures during pregnancy interfere with normal developmental programming of the cardiovascular system, and the resulting implications this may have for long-term disease risk, are unknown. Recent studies suggest that the effects of phthalates on metabolic and neurobehavioral outcomes are sex-specific. However, the influence of sex on cardiac susceptibility to phthalate exposures has not been investigated. One mechanism by which developmental exposures may influence long-term health is through altered programming of DNA methylation. In this work, we utilized an established mouse model of human-relevant perinatal exposure and enhanced reduced representation bisulfite sequencing to investigate the long-term effects of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) exposure on DNA methylation in the hearts of adult male and female offspring at 5 months of age (n=5-7 mice per sex and exposure). Perinatal DEHP exposure led to hundreds of sex-specific, differentially methylated cytosines (DMCs) and differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in the heart. Pathway analysis of DMCs revealed enrichment for several pathways in females, including insulin signaling, regulation of histone methylation, and tyrosine phosphatase activity. In males, DMCs were enriched for glucose transport, energy generation, and developmental programs. Notably many sex-specific genes differentially methylated with DEHP exposure in our mouse model were also differentially methylated in published data of heart tissues collected from human heart failure patients. Together these data highlight the potential role for DNA methylation in DEHP-induced cardiac effects, and emphasize the importance of sex as a biological variable in environmental health studies. Lead study Environmental factors play an important role in the etiology of cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases exhibit marked sexual dimorphism; however, the sex-specific effects of environmental exposures on cardiac health are incompletely understood. Perinatal and adult exposures to the metal lead (Pb) are linked to several adverse cardiovascular outcomes, but the sex-specific effects of this toxicant on the heart have received little attention. Perinatal environmental exposures can lead to disease through disruption of the normal epigenetic programming that occurs during early development. Using a mouse model of human-relevant perinatal environmental exposure, we investigated the effects of exposure to Pb during gestation and lactation on DNA methylation in the hearts of adult offspring mice (n=6 per sex). Two weeks prior to mating, dams were assigned to control or Pb acetate (32 ppm) water, and exposure continued until offspring were weaned at 3 weeks of age. Enhanced reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing was used to measure DNA methylation in the hearts of offspring at 5 months of age. Although Pb exposure stopped at 3 weeks of age, we discovered hundreds of differentially methylated cytosines (DMCs) and regions (DMRs) in males and females at 5 months of age. DMCs/DMRs and their associated genes were sex-specific, with a small, but statistically significant subset overlapping between sexes. Pathway analysis revealed altered methylation of genes important for cardiac and other tissue development in males, and histone demethylation in females. Together, these data demonstrate that perinatal exposure to Pb induces sex-specific changes in cardiac DNA methylation that are present long after cessation of exposure, and highlight the importance of considering sex in environmental epigenetics and mechanistic toxicology studies.

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Differential DNA methylation at conserved non-genic elements and transgenerational inheritance following developmental exposure to mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and 5-azacytidine in zebrafish

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