EpiTaG/EpiTrans

Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of perfluoroalkyl substances (EpiTrans) & Predicting Environmental Impacts on Future Generations by Delineating Causal Mechanisms of Transgenerational Epigenetic Inheritance (EpiTaG)

Overview: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have garnered significant attention as serious environmental hazards due to their extensive use in various industrial and consumer products. These substances are persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic, and can be widely transported across environmental media. Exposure to PFAS can alter epigenetic mechanisms, which regulate gene expression and manifest different phenotypes without changing the DNA. These epigenetic changes can be transferred across generations, even without continued exposure.

The goal of the EpiTox group in the EpiTrans and EpiTaG projects is to study the long-term impacts of PFAS on (neuro)phenotypes, including whether these effects can stretch across generations and the mechanisms that underlie these phenomena.

EpiTrans project investigates the potential of PFAS to cause transcriptomic and DNA methylation alterations using zebrafish models exposed to environmental concentrations of perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid (PFBS). The project examines whether these epigenetic changes affect molecular and cellular pathways, how such modifications and their consequences are transferred to subsequent unexposed generations, the behavioural manifestations of the exposure on the offspring, and the association of these changes to transcriptomic and DNA methylation alterations.

EpiTaG project is built on EpiTrans to uncover novel insights into the epigenetic mechanisms behind the transgenerational effects of chemical stressors and their role in adverse outcomes. The project conducts detailed epigenetic analyses to explore how PFOS exposure impacts RNA methylation (m6A), identify biomarkers that predict such effects, and provide insights into the causal involvement of these biomarkers in the processes driving transgenerational inheritance.

Together, these projects aim to advance our understanding of how PFAS affect health over generations, emphasizing their long-term effects and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Funding source: Swedish Research Council, Vetenskapsrådet (EpiTaG); Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, FORMAS (EpiTrans)

Responsible researchers: MSc. Michela Di Criscio, Dr. Adeolu Ogunleye, Prof. Joelle Ruegg

Main collaborators: Dr. Philipp Antczak (University of Cologne, Germany) & Assoc. Prof. Steffen H. Keiter (Örebro University, Sweden)