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PMID: 21041414 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review

Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: more questions than answers.

Genome research ·Vol. 20 ·No. 12 ·2010-12-00 ·Pages 1623-8

Daxinger L, Whitelaw E

Abstract

Epigenetic modifications are widely accepted as playing a critical role in the regulation of gene expression and thereby contributing to the determination of the phenotype of multicellular organisms. In general, these marks are cleared and re-established each generation, but there have been reports in a number of model organisms that at some loci in the genome this clearing is incomplete. This phenomenon is referred to as transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. Moreover, recent evidence shows that the environment can stably influence the establishment of the epigenome. Together, these findings suggest that an environmental event in one generation could affect the phenotype in subsequent generations, and these somewhat Lamarckian ideas are stimulating interest from a broad spectrum of biologists, from ecologists to health workers.

MeSH Terms
Environment Epigenesis, Genetic/genetics Inheritance Patterns/genetics Transgenes/genetics
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Daxinger Lucia
Epigenetics Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Herston, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Whitelaw Emma
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Article Info
Journal
Genome research
Abbr.
Genome Res
ISSN
1549-5469
DOI
10.1101/gr.106138.110
Published
2010-12-00
Epub
2010-00-01
Pages
1623-8
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
9518021
PMCID
PMC2989988
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1101/gr.106138.110 PMC Full Text View journal details
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