A study by Washington State University has specified that exposure to pesticide results in epigenetic changes passed down to furture generations. These epigenetic changes cause kidney disease, ovarian disease and obesity. The research findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.
“What your great-grandmother was exposed to during pregnancy, like the pesticide methoxychlor, may promote a dramatic increase in your susceptibility to develop disease, and you will pass this on to your grandchildren in the absence of any continued exposures,” said Michael Skinner, WSU professor and founder of its Center for Reproductive Biology.
Methoxychlor is a particularly toxic pesticide and was introduced in 1948 and widely used during the 1970s as a safer replacement for DDT. In 2003, the U.S. banned the substance due to its toxicity and ability to disrupt endocrine systems. Methoxychlor can act like the hormone estrogen and profoundly affects the reproductive system.
The researchers say the pesticide may be affecting how genes are turned on and off in the progeny of an exposed animal, even though its DNA and gene sequences remain unchanged.
The study is one of the first to examine the impact of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. The Skinner lab has previously correlated and documented epigenetic effects from a host of environmental toxic substances, including DDT, plastics, pesticides, fungicides, dioxins, hydrocarbons and the plasticizer bisphenol-A or BPA.
The results of the study specify that the majority of transgenerational disease traits can be transmitted primarily through the female line. The study also identified mutations in the sperm epigenome of great-grandchild male rats. The epigenome functions like a set of switches for regulating gene expression and can be altered by environmental conditions.
The epigenetic changes observed were specific to methoxychlor exposure and may prove to be valuable biomarkers for future research on transgenerational disease.
Source
Mohan Manikkam, M. Muksitul Haque, Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna, Eric E. Nilsson, Michael K. Skinner. Pesticide Methoxychlor Promotes the Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance of Adult-Onset Disease through the Female Germline. PLoS ONE, 2014 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102091
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