Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance with Dr. Michael Skinner

I hate to break it to you, but yes - what your grandmother did directly influences how your DNA is regulated today.
This is called epigenetic transgenerational inheritance.
Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance refers to the transmission of epigenetic marks (changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence) from one generation to the next. This phenomenon can occur through the germline (sperm or egg) and affect the development and health of future generations.
To further explain, it is possible for environmental factors that affected our grandmother to influence our epigenetics through epigenetic transgenerational inheritance. For example, if our grandmother was exposed to a toxin that caused changes in her epigenetic marks, those changes could be passed down to subsequent generations through the germline. This could lead to an increased risk of disease or other health conditions in her grandchildren, even if they were not directly exposed to the toxin themselves.
Additionally, lifestyle choices such as diet and exercise habits can also have epigenetic effects that can be inherited. If your grandmother had a poor diet or was sedentary, for example, this could have altered her epigenetic marks and potentially contributed to a higher risk of obesity or other metabolic disorders in her grandchildren.
This concept is important because it challenges the traditional view of inheritance as solely determined by DNA sequence. Epigenetic changes can be influenced by various environmental factors such as diet, stress, toxins, and lifestyle choices, and these changes can be passed down to offspring without altering the DNA sequence. As a result, epigenetic transgenerational inheritance has the potential to explain how certain diseases, behaviors, and traits can be inherited across multiple generations, even in the absence of genetic mutations. Understanding this mechanism of inheritance may lead to new approaches for preventing and treating a wide range of diseases and conditions.
In this week’s Everything Epigenetics podcast, Dr. Michael Skinner speaks with me about just that - epigenetic transgenerational inheritance, a term he coined in 2005. We discuss how Dr. Skinner and his team have shown that exposure to certain environmental factors, such as chemicals, nutrition, and stress, can cause changes in the epigenome that can be passed down through multiple generations. Dr. Skinner and I also chat about the mechanisms underlying this transgenerational epigenetic inheritance and the implications for human health and disease, including developmental disorders, obesity, and reproductive problems.
Dr. Skinner’s work has contributed significantly to our understanding of how epigenetic changes can affect health outcomes, and how we might be able to prevent or mitigate these effects through changes in environmental factors or therapeutic interventions. Dr. Skinner is currently a professor of Biological Sciences at Washington State University.
In this episode of Everything Epigenetics, you’ll learn about:
- Dr. Michael Skinner’s history and how he became interested in things that cannot be explained by classical genetics
- The history of Epigenetics starting with Conrad Waddington who coined the term “Epigenetics” in 1942
- Epigenetic mechanism and marks (DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin structure, non-coding RNA, RNA methylation, and DNA adenine)
- How Dr. Skinner discovered epigenetic transgenerational inheritance
- Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance - what it means and why it matters
- The role of the germ cell in this type of inheritance
- The limitations of genetic data in determining phenotypic outcomes
- Classical examples of epigenetic transgenerational inheritance
- Generational toxicology
- The work Dr. Skinner is performing now (F10 generations in rats)
- Linus Pauling’s work
- Environmental toxicants that have been shown to be associated with the transgenerational inheritance of increased disease susceptibility
- How different toxins (heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, etc.) can have an affect on our health today
- How other factors (diet, stress, alcohol consumption, smoking, etc.) can promote a transgenerational effect
- How Dr. Skinner’s work has changed his own lifestyle
- Using epigenetic biomarkers for preventative therapeutic strategies to detect disease early
- The limitations of government policies regulating toxicant exposure
- USA vs. Europe differ in regulating toxins
- The best way to move forward using epigenetics in the healthcare industry
- Dr. Skinner’s most recent work (which had over 500+ million reaches) looking at epigenetics in twins with different workout regimens
- How epigenetics can predict preeclampsia, preterm birth, male infertility, and more
- The lack of funding in this area of science

[@aodhfinn]

Yes ..audio was very poor , but the information worth the work .I'm subscribed

[@robinwallace7097]

When I was studying biology 40 years ago, I just knew there was more to the story! I couldn't believe convergent evolution evolution would happen randomly! There had to be a mechanism for environmental influence

[@ChessMasterNate]

Click that CC button to see what he is saying. Definite fuel for disaster movie. "Existential risk" may not be an exaggeration. There is evidence that people had much better memories in the past. Possibly diminished by some change to the epigenome? Though, I suspect, they did a lot more rhymes with toddlers, and young kids. Rote memory is practically a dirty word, today. But just because you do rote memory exercises does not mean you can't teach reasoning and creativity as well. I have drifted off-topic. I suspect lead and many other exposures have harmed us. Is it truly permanent? Can we do something to reset it? Is there even a default state? If reset, would we lose a lot of important adjustments that have been with us for eons? What about those Yamanaka factors? Or maybe there is another one or set that does do a reset. So many questions. I read about this nearly 20 years ago. Though I had no idea, it was effectively permanent. I figured it would fade fairly quickly. It makes one wonder about what the impacts on children are from a father who did all sorts of drugs, and then quit, settled down and had a family. That describes vast numbers of people who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s. I was the oddball, never smoked, drank, or used at all, but obviously I wasn't very popular either. I always wanted to live a long time. Most men smoked back in the late 1940s until the early 1980s. Mostly it shot up during WW2, when they put cigarettes in every soldier's gear. So many toxins. Our farmland is covered with lead from the top-selling pesticide in the early 1950s, lead arsenate and auto exhaust. And, even today, from crop dusting aircraft virtually all of which still used leaded aviation fuel, and from bone meal fertilizer. For countless generations, humanity was besieged by smallpox. For at least 3,500 years in the old world, 1/3 of all children died of smallpox, and everyone else was scared all over, and some left blind. Many did not even name their children until they had smallpox and survived. In the early 1800s, large numbers started to get inoculated, but there was still a significant risk of death. It was not until vaccination, that you had a very low chance of death. And now no one dies of smallpox because we eradicated it. Probably the single greatest accomplishment of humanity after agriculture. I have got to think that epigenic effects from smallpox must be present. Probably from plague, polio and leprosy as well. Almost certainly we can develop tools to edit epigenetics...if not a blanket reset...targeted repairs. Though, Congress is paranoid and outlaws so much stuff that can make large positive changes in our lives. I wonder if being routinely electrocuted affects the epigenome. I grew up in a house where it was always wet in the laundry, and to load or empty the washer or dryer meant being continuously electrocuted when you touch either appliance or anything wet in them. You get used to it. But, it is still unpleasant, and requires effort to move your arms where you intend. I am sure it would kill anyone with a weak heart. Must have been that way at least a decade.

[@glittereagle88]

This seems great but the audio and volume is off. Seems like such legitimate and detailed info but I couldn’t hear everything! It got annoying

[@everythingepigenetics]

Thanks for the feedback! One man band over here and currently getting help with this :) You can check out the transcript if you're interested.

[@katharina1439]

❤thank you so much. This Intel is fascinating!😃 I'm using earphones so my audio quality is good😊

[@everythingepigenetics]

You're welcome :)

[@missmurrydesign7115]

Delicious...

[@ericscaillet2232]

Defenitely did not get his Phd in sound engeneering.... why upload such bad sound

[@everythingepigenetics]

Thanks for the feedback, Eric! I'm working on getting better at this.

[@angelinaderpina6210]

Correct..that is because his life’s work and energy is directed in other disciplines, which includes finding out how many generations back the stick was methylated up your arse. If you have skills to improve someone else’s process, find a solution not derail the entire purpose of this talk, which was both coherent and a point far more memorable than the audio.

[@everythingepigenetics]

@@angelinaderpina6210 Thank you!! ^^^

[@Sluchowiska]

Audio is totally fucked...

[@everythingepigenetics]

Thank you for the feedback! If you'd like to view the transcript, you can see it on my website here - everythingepigenetics.com/episode/dr-michael-skinner-epigenetic-transgenerational-inheritence/