PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
While reports on the generational inheritance of a parental response to stress have been widely reported in animals, the molecular mechanisms behind this phenomenon have only recently emerged. The booming interest in epigenetic inheritance has been facilitated in part by the discovery that small non-coding RNAs are one of its principal conduits. Discovered 30 years ago in the Caenorhabditis elegans nematode, these small molecules have since cemented their critical roles in regulating virtually all aspects of eukaryotic development. Here, we provide an overview on the current understanding of epigenetic inheritance in animals, including mice and C. elegans, as it pertains to stresses such as temperature, nutritional, and pathogenic encounters. We focus on C. elegans to address the mechanistic complexity of how small RNAs target their cohort mRNAs to effect gene expression and how they govern the propagation or termination of generational perdurance in epigenetic inheritance. Presently, while a great amount has been learned regarding the heritability of gene expression states, many more questions remain unanswered and warrant further investigation.
摘要：
虽然有关父母对压力的反应的代际遗传的报道已在动物中广泛报道，这种现象背后的分子机制直到最近才出现。对表观遗传的兴旺兴趣部分是由于发现小的非编码RNA是其主要渠道之一。30年前在秀丽隐杆线虫中发现，这些小分子已经巩固了它们在调节真核生物发育几乎所有方面的关键作用。这里,我们概述了当前对动物表观遗传的理解，包括老鼠和秀丽隐杆线虫,因为它与温度等应力有关，营养,和致病的遭遇。我们专注于秀丽隐杆线虫，以解决小RNA如何靶向它们的队列mRNA来影响基因表达的机制复杂性，以及它们如何控制表观遗传中世代持久性的传播或终止。目前,虽然已经了解了大量关于基因表达状态的遗传力，还有许多问题仍未得到回答，需要进一步调查。
