A cost-effective approach to DNA methylation detection by Methyl Sensitive DArT sequencing.
bitstream/item/215602/1/journal.pone.0233800.pdf
Intergenerational Effects of Alcohol: A Review of Paternal Preconception Ethanol Exposure Studies and Epigenetic Mechani...
Published in Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research
While alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a highly heritable psychiatric disease, efforts to elucidate that heritability by examining genetic variation (e.g., single nucleotide polymorphisms) have been insufficient to fully account for familial AUD risk. Perhaps not coincidently, there has been a burgeoning interest in novel nongenomic mechanisms of inhe...
Investigating the Epigenetic Mechanism Behind Transgenerational Inheritance in Mice with Abnormal Folate Metabolism
Exposure to environmental stressors can impact our health and that of future generations even when they are not similarly exposed. How disease risk is inherited is unclear. My thesis focuses on a mouse model of transgenerational inheritance in which folate metabolism is disrupted by a mutation in Methionine synthase reductase ($\it{Mtrr^gt}$). Rema...
Replication-Coupled Nucleosome Assembly in the Passage of Epigenetic Information and Cell Identity.
Published in Trends in biochemical sciences
During S phase, replicated DNA must be assembled into nucleosomes using both newly synthesized and parental histones in a process that is tightly coupled to DNA replication. This DNA replication-coupled process is regulated by multitude of histone chaperones as well as by histone-modifying enzymes. In recent years novel insights into nucleosome ass...
Parent-of-origin effects of A1CF and AGO2 on testicular germ-cell tumors, testicular abnormalities, and fertilization bi...
Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Testicular tumors, the most common cancer in young men, arise from abnormalities in germ cells during fetal development. Unconventional inheritance for testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) risk both in humans and mice implicates epigenetic mechanisms. Apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme complex 1 (APOBEC1) cytidine deaminase and Deadend-1, which are ...
Response to “Variable directionality of gene expression changes across generations does not constitute negative evidence...
Published in Genome Biology
Abhay Sharma brings two arguments in favor of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TGEI) in mammals when criticizing our work. He uses probability calculations and finds that the probability of obtaining the number of common changes in the in utero-exposed prospermatogonia and the same cells in the next generation is significant in our study. ...
Noise and Epigenetic Inheritance of Single-Cell Division Times Influence Population Fitness
The fitness effect of biological noise remains unclear. For example, even within clonal microbial populations, individual cells grow at different speeds. Although it is known that the individuals’ mean growth speed can affect population-level fitness, it is unclear how or whether growth speed heterogeneity itself is subject to natural selection. He...
Response to: the nature of evidence for and against epigenetic inheritance
Published in Genome Biology
We thank Dr. Nadeau for his interest in our work. Dr. Nadeau has raised concerns about the experimental approach (mouse strains, route of administration, lack of phenotypic assessment) and about the validity of our conclusions. We will respond to each of these concerns point-by point. Please see related article: www.dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13059-015-07...
The nature of evidence for and against epigenetic inheritance
Published in Genome Biology
Not so fast. The Iqbal et. al. study and the associated Whitelaw commentary highlight the appropriately high standards of study design and interpretation needed to obtain good evidence for or against epigenetic inheritance. Please see related article: www.dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13059-015-0714-1
The Lamarckian chicken and the Darwinian egg
Published in Biology Direct
Abstract“Which came first, the Chicken or the Egg?” We suggest this question is not a paradox. The Modern Synthesis envisions speciation through genetic changes in germ cells via random mutations, an “Egg first” scenario, but perhaps epigenetic inheritance mechanisms can transmit adaptive changes initiated in the soma (“Chicken first”).ReviewersThe...
