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Updated: Jul 8, 2025
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Sample Preparation to Bioinformatics Analysis of DNA Methylation: Association Strategy for Obesity and Related Trait Studies
Published on: May 6, 2022
4.5K
Heritable changes in chromatin contacts linked to transgenerational obesity
Bruce Blumberg1, Richard Cheng-An Chang1, Riann Egusquiza2
1University of California.
Research Square
|December 11, 2023
Summary
Environmental exposures like tributyltin (TBT) can cause transgenerational obesity through heritable changes in chromatin interactions (CIs) in germ cells. This study reveals how TBT exposure alters the Ide gene, leading to obesity in descendants.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics and Environmental Health
- Transgenerational Inheritance
- Genomics and Proteomics
Background:
- Environmental exposures can impact offspring health across generations without altering DNA sequence.
- The mechanisms driving transgenerational inheritance of environmentally induced traits remain largely unknown.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for addressing non-genetic disease predispositions.
Conclusions:
- The study proposes a molecular mechanism for transgenerational obesity transmission via environmentally induced epigenetic alterations in germ cells.
- Heritable changes in chromatin structure, specifically within the Ide gene, link environmental obesogen exposure to metabolic dysfunction in descendants.
- Findings offer insights into how environmental factors can epigenetically modify physiology across mammalian generations.
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