Chapter 7 - Towards the molecular mechanisms of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: insights from transgenic mice

Abstract

Epigenetic memory describes heritable changes in the epigenome that alter genetic expression and disease risk without the persistence of the initial environmental or developmental factor. The maintenance of epigenetic memory across generations is known as transgenerational inheritance and this germ line-mediated memory of ancestral exposures has been controversial in the last decade. Transgenic rodent models have been critical for studying the possible mechanisms underlying transgenerational inheritance because of transgene sensitivity to environmental factors and its similar activity to other inherited genetic elements. This chapter will briefly overview epigenetic inheritance in mammals, the advantages and challenges of studying transgenerational inheritance in rodents, and the evidence for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance via chromatin- and RNA-mediated mechanisms provided by transgenic rodent models. We will also briefly discuss the future of transgenic mouse models in this field and how the expansion of high-throughput biology will progress our understanding of epigenetic memory in the developmental origins of health and disease.