(University of California - Santa Cruz) As an organism grows and responds to its environment, genes in its cells are constantly turning on and off, with different patterns of gene expression in different cells. But can changes in gene expression be passed on from parents to their children and subsequent generations? Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have now demonstrated that epigenetic information carried by parental sperm chromosomes can cause changes in gene expression and development in the offspring.
Original Article: New study shows effects on offspring of epigenetic inheritance via sperm