2026-06-09 ワシントン州立大学（WSU）
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.wsu.edu/press-release/2026/06/09/fathers-may-influence-their-childrens-health-before-theyre-even-conceived/
- https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2611096123
精子ミトコンドリアDNAおよび精巣上体への曝露とは無関係な、精巣由来のエピジェネティック遺伝 Testicular origin of epigenetic inheritance independent of sperm mitochondrial DNA and epididymal exposure
Zhuqing Wang, Yasuhiro Yamauchi, Sheng Chen, +2 , and Wei Yan
Proceedings of the National academy of Sciences Published:June 10, 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2611096123
Abstract
Paternal epigenetic inheritance remains mechanistically unresolved. Recent studies propose that environmental exposures induce mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-dependent transcription in sperm during epididymal transit, altering small RNA content and offspring phenotypes. Here, we show that mature murine sperm are effectively devoid of mtDNA, precluding mtDNA-dependent transcription, and that sperm-borne mitochondrial RNAs originate during spermatogenesis. Testicular sperm transmitted diet-induced metabolic traits as efficiently as, and in most cohorts more efficiently than, epididymal sperm. These findings establish testicular inheritance independent of sperm mtDNA transcription and epididymal exposure.
