Blame It On Grandma?
Maternal Gestational Malnutrition Affects Offspring Sperm Development
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| Taken from (1) |
This is an amazing breakthrough because they show that the germline of the male offspring contains regions of hypomethylation within CpG islands (of noncoding DNA). These CpG islands are known to affect transcription of genes. Could this help explain how gestational malnutrition is linked to such metabolic disorders/diseases, including diabetes? Since the germline is affected, these mutations could then be passed on to future generations.
Their research focused on the epigenetics of male offspring because their inheritance is much simpler than that of female offspring. For an easy-to-read review of the article, follow the link below:
Gestational Malnutrition Affects Offspring’s Sperm
Reference:
1. http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1945582/images/o-GRANDMA-BETTY-facebook.jpg
Reference:
1. http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1945582/images/o-GRANDMA-BETTY-facebook.jpg
Was that picture included in the research?
ReplyDeleteI find this article very interesting. It would be even more intriguing to see if the researchers combined the data of the granddaughters to see how it compared to the grandsons. What I did not really understand was the methods of this research. Obviously, I am no researcher, but if the researcher are really only looking at PGCs, wouldn't they only be looking at the potential disease within the genes of the offspring? Aren't metabolic diseases affected by the environment of the organism in question and their lifestyle?
Yet, I think there is a lot of recent history that would make this hypothesis align. After all, many were malnourished in the Great Depression and thousands of Americans go hungry. The problem is worse elsewhere. Yet, I do not believe it is just genetics (I am sure that aides the issue) that is to blame for drastic increase of diabetics. I think the increase of heavily salted products infused with hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup cheap convenient products are the real issue. People on welfare can't afford fresh vegetables and fruits, let alone whole grain or organic products.
However they may be a more creative solution for the hungry of the world. Check out this article because it's a really good solution, but definitely a little unorthodox for westerners:
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/u-n-eat-bugs-good-good-world-article-1.1342532
DeleteThe subject of this article was very interesting since they are now aware that malnutrition effects the certain offspring in a way that was not previously known. Obviously, malnutrition also effects human pregnancies in several different ways including mutations, but this study may now give doctors something else to look out for. More specifically in areas where the income level is lower and more likely to have access to less nutritional foods. Overall, it was a good article showing a great breakthrough in the field of genetics.
ReplyDeleteThe results of this study are fascinating! Researchers from the University of Cambridge investigated the role of maternal malnutrition on germ cell DNA and its effect on subsequent generations. Interestingly, (mucine) maternal malnutrition resulted in hypomethylation (“under-methylation”) of germ cell DNA in progeny mice. The resulting deviations did not occur within coding regions of the genome, although the affected region lay alongside several insulin-coding genes. The placement of these genomic aberrations suggests that these changes tamper with transcriptional regulations (since they affect normal RNA expression), which in turn alters metabolomic dynamics of the body. The results of this study are astounding, especially when considering how F2’s gametal DNA remained unaffected by paternal genomic aberrations (as long as the mother of the F2 generation received adequate nutrition). More research of this kind is certainly needed, with particular emphasis on the affect of maternal malnutrition over multiple generations. This experiment also demonstrates that genomes are easily modified by the environment, meaning that resulting phenotypes of successive generations are not purely genomic. These fascinating results hold enormous implications for treatment of metabolic ailments, such as diabetes. With further elaboration, the results of this study may prove extremely useful in curing a number of disorders. When the findings of this experiment are paired with advanced epigenomic techniques and direct genetic manipulation, ailments that are now viewed as untreatable may very well find a cure. I'm wondering, Is there any way researchers could remove defective RNA from the affected region and replace it with some form of synthetic RNA? Of course, direct manipulation of the genomic sequence seems to be a better option, but could regular insertion of a "normal," functional version of RNA also improve the situation? I’m extremely interested to see what comes of this research in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThis study was very interesting especially considering what we have covered so far in chemistry of cancer. The researchers allowed the pregnant mice to be malnourished which ended up decreasing the methylation on the genome of the sperm in the fetus and the fetus itself. The hypomethylated areas caused reduced gene expression. It is hard to believe that an environmental factor in utero could affect the germ cells of offspring subsequently affecting two generations of mice. What was fascinating was the second generation of mice did not have hypomethylated regions in their genome but still had negatively affected gene expression. It will be fascinating to determine the mechanisms behind the transference of gene expression without methylation. I believe that several other environmental factors will be shown to play a major role in developmental diseases and their probabilities. The information illuminated in this study could lead to wide sweeping changes in pregnancy warnings and treatment.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/40465/title/Gestational-Malnutrition-Affects-Offspring-s-Sperm/
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/345/6198/1255903.abstract
It has been known for quite some time that epigenetics play a role in DNA development, and certain things can be inherited or influenced by environmental factors, but this article really demonstrates the role that the environment can play on DNA.
ReplyDeleteMalnutrition in a pregnant female mouse can change the sperm of her male offspring. These changes present themselves as 111 hypomethylated regions that are not present in the control mice. Since methylation affects transcription, this can have major effects on the offspring. Some of the hypomethylated regions were closely related to insulin-secreting genes. Consequently, both first- and second-generation males showed, along with signs of glucose intolerance, lower birth weight and reduced pancreatic function. This suggests that malnutrition in the female mouse leads to epigenetic changes in the sperm of their male offspring, which can result in a higher risk for metabolic disease (i.e. obesity, type 2 diabetes) in their offspring.
This ultimately suggests that malnutrition in one female mouse can lead to generations of metabolically diseased mice. This reminds me a lot of the Old Testament and “generational curses”, which were passed down from one disobedient family member to their generations to come (faith integration). This really stresses the effects that poor health can have, not only on an individual, but on their offspring as well.
This article is very interesting! It definitely reiterates the importance of proper nutrition during pregnancy. If these findings continue to hold true with further research, a woman who is irresponsible with her diet during pregnancy could affect even her grandchildren! Science has well proved the lesson that the decisions you make today are affecting your (and your offspring's) future. I had the same thought that Hannah has expressed, that this really reminds me of the "generational curses" in the Bible. I wonder if God used hypomethylation of CpG islands in his punishments. Lightheartedness aside, these findings could have significant implications in third world countries. Malnourishment is a serious epidemic in many parts of the world. It is shocking to realize that mothers who struggle to find food every day are unintentionally affecting up to two more generations as well. I hope that these findings fuel a passion inside those who read about them to do what they can to alleviate these injustices in the world.
ReplyDeleteThe title of this article immediately took my attention for several reasons. I am interested in the OB/GYN field due to my interest in women’s health and developmental science. Therefore, getting a gist of how such an issue, a developmental issue, is passed down to the next generations is definitely interesting. I will be taking bioethics next semester, so I have been pondering on a topic to possibly make my poster presentation on. Something that I have been considering has to do with how expectant mother’s nutrition affects their offspring – an exact association to this article. This connection between a grandmother and her grandson, and possibly great grandson, is crazy! It makes me think about how my current health will affect my offspring in who knows how many years, as well as their offspring, and their offspring, and so on.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting article. It reminded me somewhat of the article posted recently about how stress can be passed down from father to daughter/son. Epigenetics is fascinating because new linked traits are always being discovered. There are so many diseases that can find there origination in ancestral genes. It is hardly surprising that nutrients has a significant role to play in this particular case. Malnutrition is a constant source of problems in relation to health. What made this read especially interesting is that malnutrition doesn't only apply to the subjected individual, but it can also have consequences on the genetic makeup of the offspring. I hope that more research will provide information that helps to stop health problems like these from occurring.
ReplyDelete(Levi Lall, 1.24.16)
This is a very detailed and well-controlled study that enlightens one more of the potential mechanism of intergenerational transmission and epigenetics. The studies demonstrated the extent to which an expecting mother’s nutrition can affect the methylation of DNA in the germ cells of her offspring. However, I will love to know if third-generation mice have any phenotypic or epigenetic memory from the nutritional insult that their great-grandmothers experienced.
ReplyDelete