Transmission of reduced levels of miR-34/449 from sperm to preimplantation embryos is a key step in the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of the effects of paternal chronic social instability stress

The transgenerational effects of exposing male mice to chronic social instability (CSI) stress are associated with decreased sperm levels of multiple members of the miR-34/449 family that persist after their mating through preimplantation embryo (PIE) development. Here we demonstrate the importance...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alexandre Champroux, Yang Tang, David A. Dickson, Alice Meng, Anne Harrington, Lucy Liaw, Matteo Marzi, Francesco Nicassio, Thorsten M. Schlaeger, Larry A. Feig
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:Epigenetics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15592294.2024.2346694
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846136351231049728
author Alexandre Champroux
Yang Tang
David A. Dickson
Alice Meng
Anne Harrington
Lucy Liaw
Matteo Marzi
Francesco Nicassio
Thorsten M. Schlaeger
Larry A. Feig
author_facet Alexandre Champroux
Yang Tang
David A. Dickson
Alice Meng
Anne Harrington
Lucy Liaw
Matteo Marzi
Francesco Nicassio
Thorsten M. Schlaeger
Larry A. Feig
author_sort Alexandre Champroux
collection DOAJ
description The transgenerational effects of exposing male mice to chronic social instability (CSI) stress are associated with decreased sperm levels of multiple members of the miR-34/449 family that persist after their mating through preimplantation embryo (PIE) development. Here we demonstrate the importance of these miRNA changes by showing that restoring miR-34c levels in PIEs derived from CSI stressed males prevents elevated anxiety and defective sociability normally found specifically in their adult female offspring. It also restores, at least partially, levels of sperm miR-34/449 normally reduced in their male offspring who transmit these sex-specific traits to their offspring. Strikingly, these experiments also revealed that inducing miR-34c levels in PIEs enhances the expression of its own gene and that of miR-449 in these cells. The same induction of embryo miR-34/449 gene expression likely occurs after sperm-derived miR-34c is introduced into oocytes upon fertilization. Thus, suppression of this miRNA amplification system when sperm miR-34c levels are reduced in CSI stressed mice can explain how a comparable fold-suppression of miR-34/449 levels can be found in PIEs derived from them, despite sperm containing ~50-fold lower levels of these miRNAs than those already present in PIEs. We previously found that men exposed to early life trauma also display reduced sperm levels of miR-34/449. And here we show that miR-34c can also increase the expression of its own gene, and that of miR-449 in human embryonic stem cells, suggesting that human PIEs derived from men with low sperm miR-34/449 levels may also contain this potentially harmful defect.
format Article
id doaj-art-cdd068c54c754aedaf907f3afdbfdc14
institution Kabale University
issn 1559-2294
1559-2308
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series Epigenetics
spelling doaj-art-cdd068c54c754aedaf907f3afdbfdc142024-12-09T07:21:35ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEpigenetics1559-22941559-23082024-12-0119110.1080/15592294.2024.2346694Transmission of reduced levels of miR-34/449 from sperm to preimplantation embryos is a key step in the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of the effects of paternal chronic social instability stressAlexandre Champroux0Yang Tang1David A. Dickson2Alice Meng3Anne Harrington4Lucy Liaw5Matteo Marzi6Francesco Nicassio7Thorsten M. Schlaeger8Larry A. Feig9Development, Molecular & Chemical Biology/Medical, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USAStem Cell Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USATufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USATufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USACenter for Molecular Medicine, MaineHealth Institute for Research, Scarborough, ME, USACenter for Genomic Studies, Instituto Italiano di Tecnologia Institution, Milan, ItalyCenter for Genomic Studies, Instituto Italiano di Tecnologia Institution, Milan, ItalyCenter for Genomic Studies, Instituto Italiano di Tecnologia Institution, Milan, ItalyStem Cell Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USADevelopment, Molecular & Chemical Biology/Medical, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USAThe transgenerational effects of exposing male mice to chronic social instability (CSI) stress are associated with decreased sperm levels of multiple members of the miR-34/449 family that persist after their mating through preimplantation embryo (PIE) development. Here we demonstrate the importance of these miRNA changes by showing that restoring miR-34c levels in PIEs derived from CSI stressed males prevents elevated anxiety and defective sociability normally found specifically in their adult female offspring. It also restores, at least partially, levels of sperm miR-34/449 normally reduced in their male offspring who transmit these sex-specific traits to their offspring. Strikingly, these experiments also revealed that inducing miR-34c levels in PIEs enhances the expression of its own gene and that of miR-449 in these cells. The same induction of embryo miR-34/449 gene expression likely occurs after sperm-derived miR-34c is introduced into oocytes upon fertilization. Thus, suppression of this miRNA amplification system when sperm miR-34c levels are reduced in CSI stressed mice can explain how a comparable fold-suppression of miR-34/449 levels can be found in PIEs derived from them, despite sperm containing ~50-fold lower levels of these miRNAs than those already present in PIEs. We previously found that men exposed to early life trauma also display reduced sperm levels of miR-34/449. And here we show that miR-34c can also increase the expression of its own gene, and that of miR-449 in human embryonic stem cells, suggesting that human PIEs derived from men with low sperm miR-34/449 levels may also contain this potentially harmful defect.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15592294.2024.2346694Epigenetic inheritancemiRNAsspermchronic stress
spellingShingle Alexandre Champroux
Yang Tang
David A. Dickson
Alice Meng
Anne Harrington
Lucy Liaw
Matteo Marzi
Francesco Nicassio
Thorsten M. Schlaeger
Larry A. Feig
Transmission of reduced levels of miR-34/449 from sperm to preimplantation embryos is a key step in the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of the effects of paternal chronic social instability stress
Epigenetics
Epigenetic inheritance
miRNAs
sperm
chronic stress
title Transmission of reduced levels of miR-34/449 from sperm to preimplantation embryos is a key step in the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of the effects of paternal chronic social instability stress
title_full Transmission of reduced levels of miR-34/449 from sperm to preimplantation embryos is a key step in the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of the effects of paternal chronic social instability stress
title_fullStr Transmission of reduced levels of miR-34/449 from sperm to preimplantation embryos is a key step in the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of the effects of paternal chronic social instability stress
title_full_unstemmed Transmission of reduced levels of miR-34/449 from sperm to preimplantation embryos is a key step in the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of the effects of paternal chronic social instability stress
title_short Transmission of reduced levels of miR-34/449 from sperm to preimplantation embryos is a key step in the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of the effects of paternal chronic social instability stress
title_sort transmission of reduced levels of mir 34 449 from sperm to preimplantation embryos is a key step in the transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of the effects of paternal chronic social instability stress
topic Epigenetic inheritance
miRNAs
sperm
chronic stress
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15592294.2024.2346694
work_keys_str_mv AT alexandrechamproux transmissionofreducedlevelsofmir34449fromspermtopreimplantationembryosisakeystepinthetransgenerationalepigeneticinheritanceoftheeffectsofpaternalchronicsocialinstabilitystress
AT yangtang transmissionofreducedlevelsofmir34449fromspermtopreimplantationembryosisakeystepinthetransgenerationalepigeneticinheritanceoftheeffectsofpaternalchronicsocialinstabilitystress
AT davidadickson transmissionofreducedlevelsofmir34449fromspermtopreimplantationembryosisakeystepinthetransgenerationalepigeneticinheritanceoftheeffectsofpaternalchronicsocialinstabilitystress
AT alicemeng transmissionofreducedlevelsofmir34449fromspermtopreimplantationembryosisakeystepinthetransgenerationalepigeneticinheritanceoftheeffectsofpaternalchronicsocialinstabilitystress
AT anneharrington transmissionofreducedlevelsofmir34449fromspermtopreimplantationembryosisakeystepinthetransgenerationalepigeneticinheritanceoftheeffectsofpaternalchronicsocialinstabilitystress
AT lucyliaw transmissionofreducedlevelsofmir34449fromspermtopreimplantationembryosisakeystepinthetransgenerationalepigeneticinheritanceoftheeffectsofpaternalchronicsocialinstabilitystress
AT matteomarzi transmissionofreducedlevelsofmir34449fromspermtopreimplantationembryosisakeystepinthetransgenerationalepigeneticinheritanceoftheeffectsofpaternalchronicsocialinstabilitystress
AT francesconicassio transmissionofreducedlevelsofmir34449fromspermtopreimplantationembryosisakeystepinthetransgenerationalepigeneticinheritanceoftheeffectsofpaternalchronicsocialinstabilitystress
AT thorstenmschlaeger transmissionofreducedlevelsofmir34449fromspermtopreimplantationembryosisakeystepinthetransgenerationalepigeneticinheritanceoftheeffectsofpaternalchronicsocialinstabilitystress
AT larryafeig transmissionofreducedlevelsofmir34449fromspermtopreimplantationembryosisakeystepinthetransgenerationalepigeneticinheritanceoftheeffectsofpaternalchronicsocialinstabilitystress