Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: from phenomena to molecular mechanisms
Noa Liberman1, Simon Yuan Wang1, Eric Lieberman Greer1
1Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA 02115, USA.
Current Opinion in Neurobiology
|October 22, 2019
Summary
Epigenetic information, not in DNA, can be inherited across generations, influencing traits. This review explores how this non-genetic inheritance bypasses erasure and affects brain function and behavior.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Inherited information beyond DNA sequence influences complex traits.
- Epigenetic information typically undergoes erasure during fertilization.
- Mechanisms of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, especially in the brain, remain poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review examples of brain-related transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.
- To explore how epigenetic information escapes erasure after fertilization.
- To delineate potential molecular mechanisms for transmitting non-genetic information across generations.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of recent studies on transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.
- Analysis of potential molecular pathways involved in epigenetic memory.
- Synthesis of current understanding of non-genetic information transmission.
Main Results:
- Identified several examples of brain-related transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.
- Highlighted challenges in epigenetic reprogramming and memory maintenance.
- Proposed potential molecular mechanisms for epigenetic transmission, including DNA methylation and histone modifications.
Conclusions:
- Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in the brain is a complex phenomenon.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the mechanisms of epigenetic memory and its behavioral consequences.
- Understanding these pathways could offer new insights into development and disease.
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