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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Induction of Hypoxia in Living Frog and Zebrafish Embryos

Induction of Hypoxia in Living Frog and Zebrafish Embryos

Published on: June 26, 2017

Transgenerational adaptation to hypoxia.

Kathleen Kim^1,2, Ariel Telger^3,4, Gautam Sarkar³

¹Department of Pediatrics, HMS Initiative for RNA Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Science Advances

|October 24, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Organisms adapt to repeated generational stresses like hypoxia. Repeated exposures eliminate lifespan extension and restore fertility, mediated by epigenetic mechanisms involving H3K27 trimethyltransferase PRC2.

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Creating Defined Gaseous Environments to Study the Effects of Hypoxia on C. elegans

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Last Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Induction of Hypoxia in Living Frog and Zebrafish Embryos

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Published on: June 26, 2017

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Creating Defined Gaseous Environments to Study the Effects of Hypoxia on C. elegans

Creating Defined Gaseous Environments to Study the Effects of Hypoxia on C. elegans

Published on: July 20, 2012

Area of Science:

Epigenetics and transgenerational inheritance
Stress response and adaptation in model organisms

Background:

Epigenetic inheritance primes descendants for recurring environmental stresses.
Organisms often face successive generational stresses, necessitating adaptive mechanisms.
Previous studies showed parental hypoxia impacts longevity and fertility via small RNAs.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate transgenerational adaptation in *Caenorhabditis elegans* to repeated generational stresses.
To determine the role of epigenetic modifications in adapting to successive environmental challenges.
To identify molecular mechanisms underlying transgenerational adaptation to hypoxia and nutrient changes.

Main Methods:

Exposing *Caenorhabditis elegans* to repeated generational hypoxia and altered glucose availability.
Assessing lifespan, fertility, and lipid levels across generations.
Investigating the involvement of the H3K27 trimethyltransferase PRC2 complex and identifying adapted genes.

Main Results:

Repeated generational hypoxia exposures eliminated lifespan extension after two generations and fertility reduction after four generations.
Transgenerational adaptation was also observed in response to changes in glucose availability.
Hypoxia adaptation was dependent on the PRC2 complex, with specific genes identified as transgenerationally adapted.

Conclusions:

Organisms, like *C. elegans*, can adapt to repeated generational stresses.
H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) is a critical epigenetic modification for adapting to successive environmental stresses.
Transgenerational adaptation involves the regulation of gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms.