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In an epigenetic study, researchers created embryos of nematodes that inherit egg chromosomes with an epigenetic marker of H3K27me3 that lacks that marker
.
The single-cell embryo on the left inherits the pink chromosome of the egg and the green chromosome of the sperm, which show the presence or absence
of H3K27me3.
The two-cell embryo on the right shows that the egg and sperm chromosomes bind
in each nucleus.
Without altering the genetic code in DNA, epigenetic modifications can alter the way genes are expressed, affecting the health and development of the
organism.
A new study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, suggests that a common epigenetic modification can be passed on not only from parents to offspring through sperm, but also to the next generation ("grandchildren"
).
In this study, his research focuses on a special modification of histones that changes the way
DNA is packaged in chromosomes.
"These results establish a causal relationship between histone markers passed on by sperm and gene expression and development in future generations and grandchildren," said
corresponding author Susan Strom.
Histones are the main proteins involved in DNA packaging in chromosomes
.
The new study involves selectively stripping this histone-labeled Caenorhabditis elegans from chromosomes and then fertilizing
the chromosome-fully labeled eggs with sperm.
This causes the tissues to initiate genes
that they would not normally express.
"In all the tissues we analyzed, genes were abnormally expressed, but different genes appeared in different tissues, suggesting that the tissue environment determines which genes are upregulated," Strome said
.
Analysis of chromosomes in descendant germline tissues showed that the upregulated genes still lacked inhibitory histone markers, while the unregulated genes restored inhibitory histone markers
.
Strom explains: "In the germline of the offspring, some genes are abnormally turned on and kept in a state of lack of inhibitory markers, while the rest of the genome regains the markers, and this pattern is passed on to future generations
.
In the offspring, the researchers observed a range of developmental effects, including some completely sterile worms
.
Researchers in Strome's lab, who have been studying epigenetic Caenorhabditis elegans for years, say the paper represents the pinnacle
of their work in this field.
"It looks like a conserved feature of gene expression and development in animals, not just a strange phenomenon
unique to worms," she said.
The co-first authors of the paper are Kiyomi Kaneshiro and Thea Egelhofer
, a UC SC research assistant.
