Epigenetic legacy of paternal obesity.

Maternal nutrition during pregnancy has been widely accepted as a driving force for epigenetic changes in the offspring and increased risk of chronic diseases in later life. However, experimental evidence indicates that the paternal epigenome is also sensitive to environmental influences that can be carried on through multiple generations. We recently showed that newborns from obese fathers have aberrant epigenetic patterns at several imprint regulatory regions, regardless of maternal BMI. This has led us to hypothesize that paternal obesity, or related factors, cause aberrant epigenetic patterns in maturing sperm cells, which can be transferred to the early embryo, and finally affect health of the offspring. In order to verify this hypothesis we will measure DNA methylation in spermatozoa, the early embryo, and at birth. Our study population includes couples eligible for IVF treatment at the Leuven University Fertility Center. It is our goal to get a better understanding of obesity-induced transgenerational epigenetic effects. Besides epigenetic analyses, we will also investigate early embryonic growth and morphometric characteristics through a computer assisted imaging system. Pregnancy outcomes and infant characteristics of the implanted embryo will be evaluated. If we succeed to confirm a relationship between paternal obesity and a disrupted establishment of genomic imprinting in germ cells and/or early embryos, our results may be ultimately informative to the field of transgenerational epigenetics; and beneficial to human health, especially in the context of the growing obesity burden.

Keywords:transgenerational, embryo, sperm, obesitas, environmental influences, epigenetics, pregnancy, IVF

Disciplines:Genetics, Systems biology, Molecular and cell biology, Gynaecology and obstetrics, Morphological sciences, Endocrinology and metabolic diseases, Nursing, Public health care, Public health sciences, Public health services