Maternal Epigenetic Effects
Maternal Epigenetic Effects - Related Videos
10:21
An Overview of Epigenetics
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2023
Since the early days of genetics research, scientists have noted certain heritable phenotypic differences that are not due to differences in the nucleotide sequence of DNA. Current evidence suggests that these “epigenetic” phenomena might be controlled by a number of mechanisms, including the modification of DNA cytosine bases with methyl groups, the addition of various chemical groups to histone proteins, and the recruitment of protein factors to specific DNA sites via interactions with...
01:46
Epigenetic Regulation
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2019
Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer. In most mammals, females have two X chromosomes (XX) while males have an X and a Y chromosome (XY). The X chromosome contains significantly more genes than the Y chromosome. Therefore, to prevent an excess of X chromosome-linked gene expression in females, one of the two X chromosomes is randomly silenced during early development.
09:17
Generation of Maternal Mutants Using zpc:cas9 Knock-in Zebrafish
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2025
Here, we describe a protocol for generating maternal mutant that couples a stable zpc:cas9 knock-in line with Tol2-mediated delivery of sgRNA expression cassettes.
07:51
Isolation of Leukocytes from the Murine Tissues at the Maternal-Fetal Interface
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Cited by 44 •
2015
Described herein is a protocol to isolate and analyze the infiltrating leukocytes of tissues at the maternal-fetal interface (uterus, decidua, and placenta) of mice. This protocol maintains the integrity of most cell surface markers and yields enough viable cells for downstream applications including flow cytometry analysis.
06:55
Assessment of Maternal Vascular Remodeling During Pregnancy in the Mouse Uterus
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Cited by 27 •
2015
This protocol describes a technique to assess changes in the maternal vasculature during pregnancy in mice. Using stereological methods, remodeling of the decidual spiral arteries is assessed quantitatively and the results confirmed qualitatively using immunohistochemistry.
FAQs
They influence gene regulation rather than the nucleotide sequence itself. Changes in DNA methylation, histone modifications, or regulatory noncoding RNAs can affect whether developmental genes are expressed and how strongly. During gamete formation, pregnancy, and early embryonic development, these regulatory shifts may redirect developmental processes while leaving the underlying genetic code unchanged.
Studies commonly examine DNA methylation, histone modifications, and regulatory noncoding RNAs. These mechanisms provide different molecular routes for altering gene activity in offspring. Comparing them helps researchers investigate how maternal conditions or inherited molecular information become linked to changes in developmental gene expression, embryonic growth, placental function, and later-life traits.
Timing matters because maternal influences can act during gamete formation, pregnancy, or early embryonic development, which are distinct stages in the pathway to offspring development. Examining these stages helps researchers determine when regulatory information may affect developmental genes and whether the associated consequences appear in embryonic growth, placental function, or later-life traits.
Nutrition, stress, toxins, and metabolic state are examples of maternal factors associated with altered gene regulation in offspring. The proposed connection is studied through molecular changes involving DNA methylation, histone modifications, or regulatory noncoding RNAs, followed by assessment of developmental outcomes. This framework links the maternal environment with embryonic growth and traits expressed later in life.
Researchers examine how maternal environments and inherited molecular information relate to gene expression during gamete formation, pregnancy, and early embryonic development. They can then consider consequences for embryonic growth, placental function, and later-life traits. This developmental perspective helps organize molecular observations around the stages when offspring development may be especially responsive to maternal influences.
Maternal epigenetic effects provide a framework for investigating how early developmental conditions may be connected with disease susceptibility and adult health. Researchers can relate maternal factors and regulatory molecular changes to later-life traits, rather than considering adult outcomes in isolation. The same work also supports investigations of biological pathways linking early development with health-related outcomes.