ReviewNature communications2023
Emerging evidence that the mammalian sperm epigenome serves as a template for embryo development.
Review in Nature communications, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 101 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
101 citing papers in PubMed, 145 citations in OpenAlex.
- A multicenter, prospective sibling oocyte study revealed that HyperSpermJournal of translational medicine · 2026Trial
- Integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analysis of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis in rooster lines with contrasting hatchability.Poultry science · 2026Article
- Paternal Exposure to the Neonicotinoid Pesticide Clothianidin Alters Sperm MicroRNA Profiles in Mice and Intergenerationally Reduces Locomotor Activity in Male Offspring.Journal of applied toxicology : JAT · 2026Article
- Sperm DNA fragmentation and its influence on mammalian reproduction.Nature reviews. Urology · 2026Review
- Fathers matter too: sperm-borne epigenetic messages link paternal exposures to next-generation health.Nature reviews. Urology · 2026Article
- Altered Embryonic SIRT6 and SIRT7 Expression Is Associated with Impaired Developmental Competence and Oocyte-Dependent Embryo Quality in Embryos Derived from Subfertile Males.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- On the state of chromatin in mammalian sperm.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Asperger Traits as a Conditionally Adaptive Neurocognitive Phenotype: An Evolutionary Narrative Review.Cureus · 2026Review
- Review
- Engineered bipaternal mice reveal the consequences of life without a maternal genomic contribution.PLoS biology · 2026Article
- Germline and Embryonic Mechanisms in the Epigenetic Inheritance of Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Traits in Mammals.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- The effect of severe oligozoospermia on embryo dynamics and morphological quality.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2026Article
- Retrotransposons in Bone and Joint Diseases.FASEB bioAdvances · 2026Review
- Folate-dependent one-carbon metabolism controls meiotic and post-meiotic epigenome remodeling in the male germline.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Effects of obesity on DNA methylation and DNA methyltransferases in the reproductive system.Histochemistry and cell biology · 2026Review
- Sex-specific multigenerational epigenetic responses to real-world chemical mixture exposure in an outbred sheep model.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Revisiting low penetrance retinoblastoma: an integrated clinical, genetic, and bioinformatic analysis.Human molecular genetics · 2026Article
- Article
- Prenatal cadmium exposure and male infertility in mice: A multi-generational mechanistic study.Eco-Environment & Health · 2026Article
- Transgenerational memory deficits in cocaine-sired male rat offspring and grand-offspring.Addiction neuroscience · 2026Article
41 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Although more studies are demonstrating that a father's environment can influence child health and disease, the molecular mechanisms underlying non-genetic inheritance remain unclear. It was previously thought that sperm exclusively contributed its genome to the egg. More recently, association studies have shown that various environmental exposures including poor diet, toxicants, and stress, perturbed epigenetic marks in sperm at important reproductive and developmental loci that were associated with offspring phenotypes. The molecular and cellular routes that underlie how epigenetic marks are transmitted at fertilization, to resist epigenetic reprogramming in the embryo, and drive phenotypic changes are only now beginning to be unraveled. Here, we provide an overview of the state of the field of intergenerational paternal epigenetic inheritance in mammals and present new insights into the relationship between embryo development and the three pillars of epigenetic inheritance: chromatin, DNA methylation, and non-coding RNAs. We evaluate compelling evidence of sperm-mediated transmission and retention of paternal epigenetic marks in the embryo. Using landmark examples, we discuss how sperm-inherited regions may escape reprogramming to impact development via mechanisms that implicate transcription factors, chromatin organization, and transposable elements. Finally, we link paternally transmitted epigenetic marks to functional changes in the pre- and post-implantation embryo. Understanding how sperm-inherited epigenetic factors influence embryo development will permit a greater understanding related to the developmental origins of health and disease.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.