Teratogenesis and the epigenetic programming of congenital defects: Why paternal exposures matter

Until recently, clinicians and researchers did not realize paternal exposures could impact child developmental outcomes. Indeed, although there is growing recognition that sperm carry a large amount of non‐genomic information and that paternal stressors influence the health of the next generation, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Birth defects research 2023-11, Vol.115 (19), p.1825-1834
Main Author: Golding, Michael C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
birth defects
Congenital defects
congenital malformations
Epigenesis, Genetic
Epigenetics
Exposure
Female
Gametes
Gametocytes
Humans
Male
paternal
paternal effect
Paternal Exposure - adverse effects
Pattern formation
Pregnancy
programming
Semen
Sperm
Spermatogenesis
Spermatozoa
teratogen
Teratogenesis
Teratogenesis - genetics
Teratogenicity
Teratogens - toxicity
Toxicology
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Summary:Until recently, clinicians and researchers did not realize paternal exposures could impact child developmental outcomes. Indeed, although there is growing recognition that sperm carry a large amount of non‐genomic information and that paternal stressors influence the health of the next generation, toxicologists are only now beginning to explore the role paternal exposures have in dysgenesis and the incidence of congenital malformations. In this commentary, I will briefly summarize the few studies describing congenital malformations resulting from preconception paternal stressors, argue for the theoretical expansion of teratogenic perspectives into the male preconception period, and discuss some of the challenges in this newly emerging branch of toxicology. I argue that we must consider gametes the same as any other malleable precursor cell type and recognize that environmentally‐induced epigenetic changes acquired during the formation of the sperm and oocyte hold equal teratogenic potential as exposures during early development. Here, I propose the term epiteratogen to reference agents acting outside of pregnancy that, through epigenetic mechanisms, induce congenital malformations. Understanding the interactions between the environment, the essential epigenetic processes intrinsic to spermatogenesis, and their cumulative influences on embryo patterning is essential to addressing a significant blind spot in the field of developmental toxicology.
ISSN:2472-1727
2472-1727
DOI:10.1002/bdr2.2215