Golding Jean, Pembrey Marcus E, Gregory Steven, Suderman Matthew, Iles-Caven Yasmin, Northstone Kate
Population Health Science, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Environ Epigenet. 2022 Feb 16;8(1):dvac003. doi: 10.1093/eep/dvac003. eCollection 2022.
Although there are many examples in the experimental literature of an environmental exposure in one generation impacting the phenotypes of subsequent generations, there are few studies that can assess whether such associations occur in humans. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) has, however, been able to determine whether there are associations between grandparental exposures and their grandchildren's development. Several of our studies, including sensitivity to loud noise, have shown associations between a grandmother smoking in pregnancy and the phenotype of the grandchild. These results were mostly specific to the sex of the grandchild and to whether the prenatal (i.e. during pregnancy) smoking occurred in the maternal or paternal grandmother. Here, we have used ancestral data on prenatal smoking among the grandmothers of the ALSPAC index children to examine possible effects on the grandchild's ability to detect the bitter taste of PROP (6 -propylthiouracil), distinguishing between the 10% deemed 'extreme tasters', and the rest of the population (total = 4656 children). We showed that grandchildren whose paternal (but not maternal) grandmothers had smoked in pregnancy were more likely than those of non-smoking grandmothers to be extreme tasters [odds ratio (OR) 1.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.03, 1.59] and that this was more likely in granddaughters (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.03, 1.95) than grandsons (OR 1.18; 95% CI 0.88, 1.60). This pattern of association between paternal foetal exposure and the granddaughter's development has been found with several other outcomes, suggesting that investigations should be undertaken to investigate possible mechanisms.
尽管实验文献中有许多例子表明，一代中的环境暴露会影响后代的表型，但很少有研究能够评估这种关联是否发生在人类身上。然而，雅芳亲子纵向研究（ALSPAC）已经能够确定祖父母的暴露与孙辈发育之间是否存在关联。我们的几项研究，包括对噪音的敏感性研究，已经表明祖母在孕期吸烟与孙辈的表型之间存在关联。这些结果大多特定于孙辈的性别以及产前（即孕期）吸烟发生在祖母还是外祖母身上。在此，我们利用ALSPAC指数儿童的祖母们产前吸烟的祖传数据，来研究其对孙辈检测PROP（6-丙基硫氧嘧啶）苦味能力的可能影响，区分出10%被视为“极端味觉者”的人群和其余人群（总计4656名儿童）。我们发现，父亲（而非母亲）的祖母在孕期吸烟的孙辈比非吸烟祖母的孙辈更有可能成为极端味觉者[优势比（OR）为1.28；95%置信区间（CI）为1.03, 1.59]，而且孙女（OR为1.42；95% CI为1.03, 1.95）比孙子（OR为1.18；95% CI为0.88, 1.60）更有可能出现这种情况。在其他几个结果中也发现了父亲胎儿期暴露与孙女发育之间的这种关联模式，这表明应该进行调查以研究可能的机制。
