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Updated: Dec 15, 2025

Using Caenorhabditis elegans for Studying Trans- and Multi-Generational Effects of Toxicants
Published on: July 29, 2019
Radiation-induced transgenerational effects in animals
Yuri E Dubrova1, Elena I Sarapultseva2,3
1Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Abstract:
According to the results of recent studies, parental exposure to ionizing radiation not only leads to mutation induction in the germline of irradiated animals but also affects their non-exposed offspring. These radiation-induced transgenerational effects belong to an epigenetic phenomenon that could not be defined as a transmission of altered phenotypes from the irradiated parents to their non-exposed offspring. In this review, we present the results of laboratory studies aimed to evaluate the transgenerational effects of parental irradiation on a number of traits in the offspring of exposed parents. The results of animal studies showing compromised viability, fertility and genome stability among the non-exposed offspring of irradiated parents are presented and discussed. So far, the epigenetic phenomenon of radiation-induced transgenerational effects has been established in laboratory studies. Future work should address the important issue of manifestation of radiation-induced transgenerational effects in populations inhabiting radioactive-contaminated areas, as well as the mechanisms of transgenerational effects.
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