Project description:Environmental factors have been shown to induce the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease through the germline. This study was designed to investigate DDT induced concurrent alterations of a number of different epigenetic processes including DNA methylation and histone retention in sperm. Gestating female rats were exposed transiently to DDT during fetal gonadal development and then F1, F2 and F3 generation sperm were analyzed.
Project description:Environmental factors have been shown to induce the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease through the germline. This study was designed to investigate vinclozolin induced concurrent alterations of a number of different epigenetic processes including DNA methylation and histone retention in sperm. Gestating female rats were exposed transiently to vinclozolin during fetal gonadal development and then F1, F2 and F3 generation sperm were analyzed.
Project description:This study was designed to investigate the developmental origins of the transgenerational differential histone retention sites (called DHRs) during gametogenesis of the sperm. Vinclozolin and DDT were independently used to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of these DHRs. Male control, DDT lineage and vinclozolin lineage F3 generation rats were used to isolate round spermatids, caput epididymal spermatozoa, and caudal sperm. The DHRs between the control versus DDT lineage or vinclozolin lineage were determined in these three developmental stages. DHRs and a reproducible core of histone H3 retention sites were observed using an H3 chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-Seq) analysis in the germ cell populations. The chromosomal locations and genomic features of the DHRs were also analyzed. A cascade of epigenetic histone retention site alterations was found to be initiated in or prior to the round spermatids that is further altered during epididymal sperm maturation. Observations show that in addition to alterations in sperm DNA methylation previously identified, the induction of differential histone retention sites (DHRs) in the later stages of spermatogenesis also occurs.
Project description:Female and male rats of an outbred female Sprague Dawley rats were administered daily intraperitoneal injections of vinclozolin (100 mg/kg BW/day), or DDT (25 mg/kg BW/day) or dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in oil (1 µl/kg BW/day vehicle). Treatment lineages are designated “control” or “vinclozolin” or “DDT” lineages. The gestating female rats treated were designated as the F0 generation. The offspring of the F0 generation rats were the F1. Non-littermate females and males aged 70-90 days from F1 generation of control, vinclozolin or DDT were bred to obtain F2 generation offspring. The F2 generation rats were similarly bred to obtain the F3 generation offspring. Individuals were maintained for 120 days and euthanized for sperm collection. Sperm from multiple individual rats was pooled into single samples. For the control samples, 2 pools were made using 6 animals and 1 pool with 5 animals. For the DDT samples, 3 pools were mady using 4 animals. For the Vinclozolin samples, 3 pools were made using 4 animals. Genomic DNA was isolated and histone chromatin immunoprecipitation with genomic DNA was performed. Each pooled sample received a separate index primer. NGS was performed at the WSU Spokane Genomics Core using Ilumina HiSeq 2500 with a PE50 application, with a read size of approximately 50 bp and approximately 35 million reads per pool.
Project description:Environmental compounds can promote epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult-onset disease in subsequent generations following ancestral exposure during fetal gonadal sex determination. The current study examined the ability of dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo[p]dioxin, TCDD) to promote epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease and DNA methylation epimutations in sperm. Gestating F0 generation females were exposed to dioxin during fetal day 8 to 14 and adult-onset disease was evaluated in F1 and F3 generation rats. The incidences of total disease and multiple disease increased in F1 and F3 generations. Prostate disease, ovarian primordial follicle loss and polycystic ovary disease were increased in F1 generation dioxin lineage. Kidney disease in males, pubertal abnormalities in females, ovarian primordial follicle loss and polycystic ovary disease were increased in F3 generation dioxin lineage animals. Analysis of the F3 generation sperm epigenome identified 50 differentially DNA methylated regions (DMR) in gene promoters. These DMR provide potential epigenetic biomarkers for transgenerational disease and ancestral environmental exposures. Observations demonstrate dioxin exposure of a gestating female promotes epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult onset disease and sperm epimutations. Methylated sperm DNA was isolated from rats ancestrally exposed to dioxin (Hip). 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 (Hip1/Cip1, Hip2/Cip2, and Hip3/Cip3), resulting in three arrays for the treatment.
Project description:Environmental compounds have been shown to promote epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease. The current study was designed to determine if a hydrocarbon mixture involving jet fuel (JP-8) promotes epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease. Gestating F0 generation female rats were transiently exposed during the fetal gonadal development period. The direct exposure F1 generation had an increased incidence of kidney abnormalities in both females and males, prostate and pubertal abnormalities in males, and primordial follicle loss and polycystic ovarian disease in females. The first transgenerational generation is the F3 generation, and the jet fuel lineage had an increased incidence of primordial follicle loss and polycystic ovarian disease in females, and obesity in both females and males. Analysis of the jet fuel lineage F3 generation sperm epigenome identified 33 differential DNA methylation regions, termed epimutations. Observations demonstrate hydrocarbons can promote epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease and sperm epimutations, potential biomarkers for ancestral exposures. Methylated sperm DNA was isolated from rats ancestrally exposed to jet fuel (Jip). 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 (Jip1/Cip1, Jip2/Cip2, and Jip3/Cip3), resulting in three arrays for the treatment.
Project description:A variety of environmental factors have been shown to induce the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease and phenotypic variation. This involves the germline transmission of epigenetic information between generations. Exposure specific sperm epimutations have been previously observed. The current study was designed to investigate the potential role genetic mutations have in the process, using copy number variations (CNV). In the first (F1) generation following exposure negligible CNV were identified, but in the transgenerational F3 generation a significant increase in CNV were identified in the sperm. The genome-wide differential DNA methylation regions (epimutations) were correlated with the genome locations of the CNV. Observations indicate the environmental induction of the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of sperm epimutations promotes genome instability such that genetic CNV mutations are acquired in later generations. A combination of epigenetics and genetics is suggested to be involved in the transgenerational phenotypes.
Project description:Advancing the molecular knowledge surrounding fertility and inheritance has become critical given the halving of sperm counts in the last 40 years, and the rise in complex disease which cannot be explained by genetics alone. The connection between both these trends may lie in alterations to the sperm epigenome and occur through environmental exposures. Changes to the sperm epigenome are also associated with health risks across generations such as metabolic disorders and cancer. Thus it is imperative to identify the epigenetic modifications that escape reprogramming during spermatogenesis. Here, we aimed to identify the chromatin signature(s) associated with transgenerational phenotypes in our genetic mouse model of epigenetic inheritance that overexpresses the histone demethylase KDM1A in their germ cells. We used sperm-specific chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by in depth sequencing (ChIP-seq), and computational analysis to identify whether differential enrichment of histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3), and histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) serve as mechanisms for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance through the paternal germline. Our analysis on the sperm of KDM1A transgenic males revealed specific changes in H3K4me3 enrichment that occurred independently from non-bivalent H3K4me3/H3K27me3 regions. Many regions with altered H3K4me3 enrichment in sperm were identified on the paternal allele of the pre-implantation embryo. These findings suggest that sperm H3K4me3 functions in the transmission of non-genetic phenotypes transgenerationally.
Project description:A variety of environmental factors have been shown to induce the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease and phenotypic variation. This involves the germline transmission of epigenetic information between generations. Exposure specific sperm epimutations have been previously observed. The current study was designed to investigate the potential role genetic mutations have in the process, using copy number variations (CNV). In the first (F1) generation following exposure negligible CNV were identified, but in the transgenerational F3 generation a significant increase in CNV were identified in the sperm. The genome-wide differential DNA methylation regions (epimutations) were correlated with the genome locations of the CNV. Observations indicate the environmental induction of the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of sperm epimutations promotes genome instability such that genetic CNV mutations are acquired in later generations. A combination of epigenetics and genetics is suggested to be involved in the transgenerational phenotypes.