Maternal age and traits in offspring

Wang, Ming-Hseng; Saal, Frederick S. vom

doi:10.1038/35035156

Cited by 49 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…F2 pups with young-adult grandmothers are significantly heavier. A small increase in the levels of estradiol or other estrogens during the fetal development of female mice is also associated with earlier puberty [57].…”

Section: Vicious Cycle Of Mother-to-offspring Transmission Through Itmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dimorphism in environmental epigenetic programming

Gabory

Attig

Junien

2009

Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology

246

196

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The phenotype of an individual is the result of complex interactions between genotype and current, past and ancestral environment leading to a lifelong remodelling of our epigenomes. The vast majority of common diseases, including atherosclerosis, diabetes, osteoporosis, asthma, neuropsychological and autoimmune diseases, which often take root in early development, display some degree of sex bias, very marked in some cases. This bias could be explained by the role of sex chromosomes, the different regulatory pathways underlying sexual development of most organs and finally, lifelong fluctuating impact of sex hormones. A substantial proportion of dimorphic genes expression might be under the control of sex-specific epigenetic marks. Environmental factors such as social behaviour, nutrition or chemical compounds can influence, in a gender-related manner, these flexible epigenetic marks during particular spatiotemporal windows of life. Thus, finely tuned developmental program aspects, for each sex, may be more sensitive to specific environmental challenges, particularly during developmental programming and gametogenesis, but also throughout the individual's life under the influence of sex steroid hormones and/or sex chromosomes. An unfavourable programming could thus lead to various defects and different susceptibility to diseases between males and females. Recent studies suggest that this epigenetic programming could be sometimes transmitted to subsequent generations in a sex specific manner and lead to transgenerational effects (TGEs).This review summarizes the current understanding in the field of epigenetic programming and highlights the importance of studying both sexes in epidemiological protocols or dietary interventions both in humans and in experimental animal models.

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Section: Vicious Cycle Of Mother-to-offspring Transmission Through Itmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual dimorphism in environmental epigenetic programming

Gabory

Attig

Junien

2009

Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology

246

196

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Most notably, it is well established that old mothers often produce shorter-lived offspring, a phenomenon known as 'the Lansing effect' [13,15,16]. Parental age effects have also been documented for other components of offspring life history, such as indices of reproductive output [10,13,16 -18] and development or growth rates [14,19,20]. Moreover, such effects are likely to be exacerbated via interactions with extrinsic sources of environmental stress-such as deviations from the optimal climatic or dietary environment [1,21,22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transgenerational interactions involving parental age and immune status affect female reproductive success inDrosophila melanogaster

Nystrand

Dowling

2014

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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It is well established that the parental phenotype can influence offspring phenotypic expression, independent of the effects of the offspring's own genotype. Nonetheless, the evolutionary implications of such parental effects remain unclear, partly because previous studies have generally overlooked the potential for interactions between parental sources of non-genetic variance to influence patterns of offspring phenotypic expression. We tested for such interactions, subjecting male and female Drosophila melanogaster of two different age classes to an immune activation challenge or a control treatment. Flies were then crossed in all age and immune status combinations, and the reproductive success of their immune-and control-treated daughters measured. We found that daughters produced by two younger parents exhibited reduced reproductive success relative to those of other parental age combinations. Furthermore, immune-challenged daughters exhibited higher reproductive success when produced by immune-challenged relative to control-treated mothers, a pattern consistent with transgenerational immune priming. Finally, a complex interplay between paternal age and parental immune statuses influenced daughter's reproductive success. These findings demonstrate the dynamic nature of age-and immune-mediated parental effects, traceable to both parents, and regulated by interactions between parents and between parents and offspring.

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“…maternal rank, induce higher frequencies of offspring aggressive and mounting behaviours (Dloniak et al, 2006). The maternal plasmatic androgen levels of rodents during gestation decrease with maternal age, and could be related to lighter progeny at birth, delaying their sexual development and impairing their learning abilities (Matt et al, 1986;Tarín et al, 2003;Wang and vom Saal, 2000). Researchers have reported similar influences of maternal age for birds: egg yolk hormonal modulations are related to maternal characteristics (AdkinsRegan et al, 2013;Gil, 2008;Groothuis and Schwabl, 2008;Groothuis et al, 2005).…”

Section: Research Articlementioning

confidence: 76%

Long-life partners or sex friends? Impact of parental pair bond on offspring personality

Bot

Lumineau

Margerie

et al. 2014

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Previous investigations reported that some traits of parental relationships, including pair-bond duration or mate behavioural compatibility, influence subsequent offspring fitness by acting on their behaviour and growth and thus their early survival. We hypothesized that the development of a pair bond between sexual partners would have a prenatal influence. This study investigated the impact of two pairing managements on the egg characteristics and development of offspring of Japanese quail (Coturnix c. japonica). Thirty males and 30 females were paired either continuously (C; mates together all the time) or non-continuously (NC; pairs met only three times a week for 5 min). Separation-reunion tests evaluated parental pair bond. Egg yolk testosterone and androstenedione levels were evaluated, and the somatic and behavioural development of C and NC chicks was assessed. Our results revealed that members of C pairs were attached to their mates and, although no significant differences in androgen levels could be evidenced between egg sets, a higher proportion of C pairs' eggs were fertilized and their chicks appeared less emotive and more social. Our results revealed that the parental relationship can modulate the behavioural development of their offspring, probably via non-genetic effects, and this could play a major role in the emergence of inter-individual variability.

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Maternal age and traits in offspring

Cited by 49 publications

References 7 publications

Sexual dimorphism in environmental epigenetic programming

Sexual dimorphism in environmental epigenetic programming

Transgenerational interactions involving parental age and immune status affect female reproductive success inDrosophila melanogaster

Long-life partners or sex friends? Impact of parental pair bond on offspring personality

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