Institute of Plant Biology and Zürich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zürich, Switzerland.
Nat Rev Genet. 2013 Mar;14(3):228-35. doi: 10.1038/nrg3435.
Much attention has been given to the idea of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, but fundamental questions remain regarding how much takes place and the impact that this might have on organisms. We asked five leading researchers in this area--working on a range of model organisms and in human disease--for their views on these topics. Their responses highlight the mixture of excitement and caution that surrounds transgenerational epigenetic inheritance and the wide gulf between species in terms of our knowledge of the mechanisms that may be involved.
人们对跨代表观遗传继承的想法给予了极大关注,但关于这种现象发生的程度以及它可能对生物体产生的影响,仍存在一些基本问题。我们向该领域的五位主要研究人员(研究范围涵盖多种模式生物和人类疾病)征求了他们对这些主题的看法。他们的回答突出了跨代表观遗传继承所带来的兴奋和谨慎,以及我们对可能涉及的机制的了解在物种之间存在着巨大差距。