Role of non-coding RNAs in response to environmental exposure and mediating epigenetic inheritance in mammals

Abstract

<p indent="0mm">Environmental exposure to dietary change, mental stress, and contaminants, as well as the influence of body phenotype, can lead to severe disease in humans. Recent studies have revealed that environmental exposure information induces parentally acquired traits, which can be transferred to the next generation and affect the health of offspring. This process is independent of changes in the DNA sequence and is known as epigenetic inheritance. Epigenetic markers, such as DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNAs, are bioinformatics carriers that are responsible for transferring environmental information. Multiple types of non-coding RNAs with various functions are important mobile carriers that are sensitive to exposure to different environmental information but can also be found in germ cells that can transfer parental information to offspring. Here, we summarized the changes in the non-coding RNAs under different environmental exposure parameters and discussed the progress of sperm non-coding RNA-mediated epigenetic inheritance.