Dias Brian G, Ressler Kerry J
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Bioessays. 2014 Oct;36(10):919-23. doi: 10.1002/bies.201400105. Epub 2014 Aug 25.
Environmental factors routinely influence an organism's biology. The inheritance or transmission of such influences to descendant generations would be an efficient mode of information transfer across generations. The developmental stage at which a specific environment is encountered by the ancestral generation, and the number of generations over which information about that environment is registered, determines an inter- vs. trans-generational effect of ancestral influence. This commentary will outline the distinction between these influences. While seductive in principle, inter- and trans-generational inheritance in mammals is a hotly debated area of research inquiry. We present constructive criticism of such inheritance, and suggest potential experimental avenues for reconciliation. Finally, epigenetic mechanisms present an avenue for gene regulation that is dynamic. We briefly discuss how such malleability affords the potential for a reversal of any detrimental environmental influences that might have adversely impacted ancestral or descendant generations.
环境因素常常会影响生物体的生理特性。将这些影响遗传或传递给后代将是一种跨代信息传递的有效方式。亲代遇到特定环境的发育阶段，以及关于该环境的信息被记录的代数，决定了亲代影响的代内效应与跨代效应。本评论将概述这些影响之间的区别。虽然在原则上很有吸引力，但哺乳动物的代内和跨代遗传是一个备受争议的研究领域。我们对这种遗传提出建设性批评，并提出潜在的调和实验途径。最后，表观遗传机制提供了一种动态的基因调控途径。我们简要讨论了这种可塑性如何为逆转任何可能对亲代或后代产生不利影响的有害环境影响提供可能性。
