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Inheritance of epigenetic DNA marks studied in new mouse model

There is debate about how epigenetic marks, such as methyl groups on DNA, can be passed down from parent to offspring. A mouse model involving targeted DNA methylation will better equip researchers to study this process.
  1. Serge McGraw

    1. Serge McGraw is in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada, and in the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal.

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  2. Sarah Kimmins

    1. Sarah Kimmins is in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada, and in the CHUM Research Centre, Montreal.

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Parental obesity, nutrient-poor diets or stress can compromise the health of children, and potentially grandchildren, through inheritance of ‘epigenetic modifications’1. These biochemical changes to DNA or associated histone proteins — the addition of methyl or acetyl groups, for instance — affect gene expression, cell type and more, without altering DNA sequence. Epigenetic modifications can arise in response to environmental cues and are passed down to subsequent generations in eggs and sperm2. Writing in Cell, Takahashi et al.3 present a mouse model in which methylation is induced at targeted sites in DNA, and demonstrate that this approach can be used to address pressing mechanistic questions about such transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TGI).

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Nature 615, 800-802 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-00708-8

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Competing Interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

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