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Mechanisms of Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance
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Mechanisms of Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance

A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Epigenomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2023) | Viewed by 12065

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Chunxia Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Children's Hospital Boston, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: development; epigenetic reprogramming; stem cells; reproduction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Evolution occurs when altered phenotypes are selected and transmitted to the offspring. Gametes are responsible for transmitting phenotypic information to the next generation. In addition to the genome, the epigenome (like DNA methylation histone modifications) has also been reported to be transmitted from the oocytes to the next generation, which is known as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Unlike the genome, the epigenome can change depending on the environment. The discovery of transgenerational histone modification raises a new possibility that environment-induced changes of histone modifications in oocytes can affect the phenotypes of the next generation and potentially contribute to evolution. However, the mechanisms of this epigenetic inheritance have not been fully understood. This Special Issue of Genes on “Mechanisms of Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance” will provide an overview of advancement in this field of research from plants to animals, including critical perspectives on current and upcoming challenges.

Dr. Chunxia Zhang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Genes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • transgenerational epigenetic inheritance
  • DNA methylation
  • histone modifications
  • germ cells
  • development
  • reproduction
  • reprogramming

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3409 KiB  
Article
Comparative Transcriptomics and Methylomics Reveal Adaptive Responses of Digestive and Metabolic Genes to Dietary Shift in Giant and Red Pandas
by Lu Li, Fujun Shen, Xiaodie Jie, Liang Zhang, Guoqiang Yan, Honglin Wu, Yan Huang, Rong Hou, Bisong Yue and Xiuyue Zhang
Genes 2022, 13(8), 1446; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13081446 - 14 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1989
Abstract
Both the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens) belong to the order Carnivora, but have changed their dietary habits to eating bamboo exclusively. The convergent evolution characteristics of their morphology, genome and gut flora have been [...] Read more.
Both the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and red panda (Ailurus fulgens) belong to the order Carnivora, but have changed their dietary habits to eating bamboo exclusively. The convergent evolution characteristics of their morphology, genome and gut flora have been found in the two pandas. However, the research on the convergent adaptation of their digestion and metabolism to the bamboo diet, mediated by the dietary shift of the two pandas at the gene-expression and epigenetic regulation levels, is still lacking. We therefore used RNA sequencing among five species (two pandas and three non-herbivore mammals) and bisulfite sequencing among three species (two pandas and a carnivore ferret) to sequence key digestion and metabolism tissues (stomach and small intestine). Our results provide evidence that the convergent differentially expressed genes (related to carbohydrate utilization, bile secretion, Lys and Arg metabolism, vitamin B12 utilization and cyanide detoxification) of the two pandas are adaptive responses to the bamboo diet containing low lipids, low Lys and Arg, low vitamin B12 and high cyanide. We also profiled the genome-wide methylome maps of giant panda, red panda and ferret, and the results indicated that the promoter methylation of the two pandas may regulate digestive and metabolic genes to adapt to sudden environmental changes, and then, transmit genetic information to future generations to evolve into bamboo eaters. Taken together, our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms of the dietary shift and the adaptation to a strict bamboo diet in both pandas using comparative transcriptomics and methylomics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance)
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Review

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20 pages, 1685 KiB  
Review
Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance of Traumatic Experience in Mammals
by Jana Švorcová
Genes 2023, 14(1), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14010120 - 1 Jan 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 9416
Abstract
In recent years, we have seen an increasing amount of evidence pointing to the existence of a non-genetic heredity of the effects of events such as separation from parents, threat to life, or other traumatising experiences such as famine. This heredity is often [...] Read more.
In recent years, we have seen an increasing amount of evidence pointing to the existence of a non-genetic heredity of the effects of events such as separation from parents, threat to life, or other traumatising experiences such as famine. This heredity is often mediated by epigenetic regulations of gene expression and may be transferred even across several generations. In this review, we focus on studies which involve transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI), with a short detour to intergenerational studies focused on the inheritance of trauma or stressful experiences. The reviewed studies show a plethora of universal changes which stress exposure initiates on multiple levels of organisation ranging from hormonal production and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis modulation all the way to cognition, behaviour, or propensity to certain psychiatric or metabolic disorders. This review will also provide an overview of relevant methodology and difficulties linked to implementation of epigenetic studies. A better understanding of these processes may help us elucidate the evolutionary pathways which are at work in the course of emergence of the diseases and disorders associated with exposure to trauma, either direct or in a previous generation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance)
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