Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: a critical perspective

Autor: Adrian Bird
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Epigenetics and Epigenomics, Vol 2 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2813-706X
DOI: 10.3389/freae.2024.1434253
Popis: Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in humans and other vertebrates has been controversial for over 150 years and remains so. It currently depends on the assumption that the environment is able to influence the genome, in particular by altering epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation, and that these acquired markings can enter the germline and affect phenotypes in the next generation. This article will offer a critical overview of some of the evidence beneath these assumptions–particularly regarding mammals. Whilst genome sequencing increasingly strengthens the causal relationship between genotypes and organismal characteristics, the evidence for many potentially important forms of environmentally induced epigenetic inheritance remains inconclusive.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals