Sex-specific DNA methylation and transcription of and effects of gene-environment interactions on its natural antisense transcript in zebrafish.

There is increasing evidence for the involvement of epigenetics in sex determination, maintenance, and plasticity, from plants to humans. In our previous work, we reported a transgenerational feminization of a zebrafish population for which the first generation was exposed to cadmium, a metal with endocrine disrupting effects. In this study, starting from the previously performed whole methylome analysis, we focused on the gene and hypothesized that it could be involved in sex differentiation and Cd-induced offspring feminization.

Transgenerational endocrine disruptor effects of cadmium in zebrafish and contribution of standing epigenetic variation to adaptation.

Evidence has emerged that environmentally-induced epigenetic changes can have long-lasting effects on gene transcription across generations. These recent findings highlight the need to investigate the transgenerational impacts of pollutants to assess their long term effects on populations. In this study, we investigated the transgenerational effect of cadmium on zebrafish across 4 generations.