RESUMO
The paternal transmission of environmentally induced phenotypes across generations has been reported to occur following a number of qualitatively different exposures and appear to be driven, at least in part, by epigenetic factors that are inherited via the sperm. However, previous studies of paternal germline transmission have not addressed the role of mothers in the propagation of paternal effects to offspring. We hypothesized that paternal exposure to nutritional restriction would impact male mate quality and subsequent maternal reproductive investment with consequences for the transmission of paternal germline effects. In the current report, using embryo transfer in mice, we demonstrate that sperm factors in adult food restricted males can influence growth rate, hypothalamic gene expression and behaviour in female offspring. However, under natural mating conditions females mated with food restricted males show increased pre- and postnatal care, and phenotypic outcomes observed during embryo transfer conditions are absent or reversed. We demonstrate that these compensatory changes in maternal investment are associated with a reduced mate preference for food restricted males and elevated gene expression within the maternal hypothalamus. Therefore, paternal experience can influence offspring development via germline inheritance, but mothers can serve as a modulating factor in determining the impact of paternal influences on offspring development.
Assuntos
Privação de Alimentos , Crescimento e Desenvolvimento/genética , Herança Materna/genética , Herança Paterna/genética , Fenótipo , Reprodução/genética , Animais , Feminino , Expressão Gênica , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BLRESUMO
Early-life adversity can affect brain development and behavior. Emerging evidence from studies on both humans and rodents suggests that epigenetic mechanisms may play a critical role in shaping our biology in response to the quality of the environment. This article highlights the research findings suggesting that prenatal maternal stress, postnatal maternal care, and infant neglect/abuse can lead to epigenetic variation, which may have long-term effects on stress responsivity, neuronal plasticity, and behavior.