Exposure to environmental factors during fetal development may lead to epigenomic modifications in fetal germ cells, altering gene expression and promoting diseases in successive generations. In mouse, maternal exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is known to induce defects in spermatogenesis in successive generations, but the mechanism(s) of impaired spermatogenesis are unclear. Here, we showed that maternal DEHP exposure results in DNA hypermethylation of promoters of spermatogenesis-related genes in fetal testicular germ cells in F1 mice, and hypermethylation of , and , which are crucial for spermatogenesis, persisted from fetal testicular cells to adult spermatogonia, resulting in the downregulation of expression of these genes. Forced methylation of these gene promoters silenced expression of these loci in a reporter assay. These results suggested that maternal DEHP exposure-induced hypermethylation of , and results in downregulation of these genes in spermatogonia and subsequent defects in spermatogenesis, at least in the F1 generation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.70322 | DOI Listing |
Liver Int
February 2025
Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Background And Aims: Maternal obesity increases the risk of the paediatric form of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), affecting up to 30% of youth, but the developmental origins remain poorly understood.
Methods: Using a Japanese macaque model, we investigated the impact of maternal Western-style diet (mWSD) or chow diet followed by postweaning WSD (pwWSD) or chow diet focusing on bile acid (BA) homeostasis and hepatic fibrosis in livers from third-trimester fetuses and 3-year-old juvenile offspring.
Results: Juveniles exposed to mWSD had increased hepatic collagen I/III content and stellate cell activation in portal regions.
Placenta
January 2025
Department of Pediatrics, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Electronic address:
Introduction: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is an opportunistic pathogen that can induce chorioamnionitis (CA), increasing the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in the offspring. The placenta facilitates maternal-fetal communication through the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which may carry inflammatory molecules such as interleukin (IL)-1. Although the role of EVs in immune modulation is well established, their specific characterization in the context of GBS-induced CA has not yet been investigated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLife Sci
January 2025
Studies of the Physiopathology of the ovary laboratory, Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (IBYME) - National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Vuelta de Obligado 2490, C1428ADL Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address:
Aims: Metformin has shown beneficial effects on reproduction in women. However, its use during pregnancy remains controversial, as metformin can cross the placenta. Most studies have focused on the metabolic impact on the offspring of treated mothers, with limited information regarding its reproductive effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pediatr
January 2025
Department of Acute Febrile Illnesses, Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Objective: To investigate the effects of intrauterine and perinatal exposure to chikungunya virus (CHIKV) on neurodevelopment in infants and toddlers.
Study Design: We conducted a cohort study comparing children with intrauterine or perinatal exposure to maternal CHIKV infection with unexposed controls in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Neurodevelopment was assessed with General Movement Assessments (GMA) in the first six months of life, and the Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) for older children.
Eat Behav
January 2025
Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
The first year postpartum is a sensitive time for maternal eating behaviors including emotional, external and restrained eating, which have all been associated with negative health outcomes. Furthermore, among women with a history of trauma, the stress of the postpartum period and early parenting may replicate feelings of helplessness and overwhelm experienced during childhood trauma, which may further contribute to these eating behaviors. Although evidence has shown how mothers eat during this time has long-term implications for infants' eating and health, limited research has characterized eating trajectories and associations with women's history of childhood trauma exposure during this critical period.
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