Sperm tsRNAs contribute to intergenerational inheritance of an acquired metabolic disorder
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ABSTRACT: Increasing evidences indicate diet-induced metabolic disorder could be paternally inherited, but the exact sperm epigenetic carrier remains unclear. Here, in a paternal high-fat diet (HFD) mouse model, we revealed that a highly enriched subset of sperm small RNAs (30-34 nt) that derived from the 5’ halves of tRNAs (tsRNAs), exhibit changes in both expression profiles and RNA modifications. Injection of sperm tsRNAs from HFD male but not synthetic tsRNAs lacking RNA modifications, into normal zygotes generated metabolic disorders in the F1 offspring. Injection of HFD sperm tsRNAs derails gene expression in both early embryos and islets of F1 offspring, enriched in metabolic pathways, but unrelated to DNA methylation at CpG-enriched region. Collectively, we uncover sperm tsRNAs as a type of “epigenetic carrier” that mediate intergenerational inheritance of acquired traits.
Project description:Increasing evidences indicate diet-induced metabolic disorder could be paternally inherited, but the exact sperm epigenetic carrier remains unclear. Here, in a paternal high-fat diet (HFD) mouse model, we revealed that a highly enriched subset of sperm small RNAs (30-34 nt) that derived from the 5â halves of tRNAs (tsRNAs), exhibit changes in both expression profiles and RNA modifications. Injection of sperm tsRNAs from HFD male but not synthetic tsRNAs lacking RNA modifications, into normal zygotes generated metabolic disorders in the F1 offspring. Injection of HFD sperm tsRNAs derails gene expression in both early embryos and islets of F1 offspring, enriched in metabolic pathways, but unrelated to DNA methylation at CpG-enriched region. Collectively, we uncover sperm tsRNAs as a type of âepigenetic carrierâ that mediate intergenerational inheritance of acquired traits. Mature sperm small-RNA profiles between High-fat-diet (HFD) and Normal-diet (ND) males; Transcriptional profiles of 8-cell embryos and balstocysts that developed from zygotes that injected with sperm RNAs from HFD vs ND males. Transcriptional profiles and RRBS profiles of islets of F1 offsrping that generated from zygotes that injected with sperm RNAs from HFD vs ND males.
Project description:Traditional research has focused on DNA as the molecule that carries heritable information from the parent to the offspring. However, increasing evidence suggests that information beyond the DNA sequence, termed epigenetic information, can also transmit certain information from one generation to the next. Whereas paternal epigenetic germline inheritance has been well elucidated, as the father contributes little more than a sperm cell to the offspring, maternal epigenetic inheritance via gametes remains largely unclear. Here, using an in vitro fertilization system and a micromanipulation strategy, we demonstrate that oocyte piRNAs mediate intergenerational transmission of an acquired metabolic disorder. Changes in the expression profiles of many oocyte piRNAs are observed in a maternal chronic high-fat diet (HFD) mouse model. Injection of the oocyte piRNAs from HFD females into normal zygotes resulted in impaired glucose tolerance and decreased insulin sensitivity in the F1 offspring. A series of genes involved in glucose metabolism and the insulin signaling pathway were differentially expressed in the pancreatic islets of the F1 offspring. Bisulfite genome sequencing of the islets of the F1 offspring revealed changes in cytosine methylation that correlated with the observed gene expression patterns. These data identified oocyte piRNAs as novel carriers of epigenetic information and highlight the importance of long-term maternal health before conception.
Project description:Spermatozoa deliver a complex and environment sensitive pool of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA) to the oocyte at fertilisation [ref], which influences offspring development and adult phenotypic trajectories [refs]. Whether mature spermatozoa in the epididymis can directly sense the environment is still not fully understood [ref]. Here, we used two distinct paradigms of preconception acute High Fat Diet challenge to dissect epididymal vs spermatogenic contributions to the sperm sncRNA pool and offspring health. We show that epididymal spermatozoa, but not developing germ cells, are sensitive to the environment and identify mitochondrial tRNA fragments as sperm-born sensors. In human spermatozoa, we found mt-tsRNAs in linear association with BMI and showed that paternal overweight at conception is sufficient to double offspring obesity risk and compromise metabolic health. Using mouse genetics and metabolic phenotypic data, we show that alterations of mt-tsRNAs are downstream of mitochondrial dysfunction in mice. Most importantly, single embryo transcriptomics of genetically hybrid two-cell embryos demonstrated sperm-to-oocyte transfer of mt-tsRNAs at fertilisation and implied them in the control of early embryo metabolism. Our study supports the importance of paternal health at conception for offspring metabolism, propose mt-tsRNAs as sperm-born environmental effectors of paternal inheritance and demonstrate, for the first time in a physiological and unperturbed setting, father-to-offspring transfer of sperm mt-tsRNAs at fertilisation.
Project description:Spermatozoa deliver a complex and environment sensitive pool of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA) to the oocyte at fertilisation, which influences offspring development and adult phenotypic trajectories. Whether mature spermatozoa in the epididymis can directly sense the environment is still not fully understood. Here, we used two distinct paradigms of preconception acute High Fat Diet challenge to dissect epididymal vs spermatogenic contributions to the sperm sncRNA pool and offspring health. We show that epididymal spermatozoa, but not developing germ cells, are sensitive to the environment and identify mitochondrial tRNA fragments as sperm-born sensors. In human spermatozoa, we found mt-tsRNAs in linear association with BMI and showed that paternal overweight at conception is sufficient to double offspring obesity risk and compromise metabolic health. Using mouse genetics and metabolic phenotypic data, we show that alterations of mt-tsRNAs are downstream of mitochondrial dysfunction in mice. Most importantly, single embryo transcriptomics of genetically hybrid two-cell embryos demonstrated sperm-to-oocyte transfer of mt-tsRNAs at fertilisation and implied them in the control of early embryo metabolism. Our study supports the importance of paternal health at conception for offspring metabolism, propose mt-tsRNAs as sperm-born environmental effectors of paternal inheritance and demonstrate, for the first time in a physiological and unperturbed setting, father-to-offspring transfer of sperm mt-tsRNAs at fertilisation.
Project description:Spermatozoa deliver a complex and environment sensitive pool of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA) to the oocyte at fertilisation, which influences offspring development and adult phenotypic trajectories. Whether mature spermatozoa in the epididymis can directly sense the environment is still not fully understood. Here, we used two distinct paradigms of preconception acute High Fat Diet challenge to dissect epididymal vs spermatogenic contributions to the sperm sncRNA pool and offspring health. We show that epididymal spermatozoa, but not developing germ cells, are sensitive to the environment and identify mitochondrial tRNA fragments as sperm-born sensors. In human spermatozoa, we found mt-tsRNAs in linear association with BMI and showed that paternal overweight at conception is sufficient to double offspring obesity risk and compromise metabolic health. Using mouse genetics and metabolic phenotypic data, we show that alterations of mt-tsRNAs are downstream of mitochondrial dysfunction in mice. Most importantly, single embryo transcriptomics of genetically hybrid two-cell embryos demonstrated sperm-to-oocyte transfer of mt-tsRNAs at fertilisation and implied them in the control of early embryo metabolism. Our study supports the importance of paternal health at conception for offspring metabolism, propose mt-tsRNAs as sperm-born environmental effectors of paternal inheritance and demonstrate, for the first time in a physiological and unperturbed setting, father-to-offspring transfer of sperm mt-tsRNAs at fertilisation.
Project description:Spermatozoa deliver a complex and environment sensitive pool of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA) to the oocyte at fertilisation, which influences offspring development and adult phenotypic trajectories. Whether mature spermatozoa in the epididymis can directly sense the environment is still not fully understood. Here, we used two distinct paradigms of preconception acute High Fat Diet challenge to dissect epididymal vs spermatogenic contributions to the sperm sncRNA pool and offspring health. We show that epididymal spermatozoa, but not developing germ cells, are sensitive to the environment and identify mitochondrial tRNA fragments as sperm-born sensors. In human spermatozoa, we found mt-tsRNAs in linear association with BMI and showed that paternal overweight at conception is sufficient to double offspring obesity risk and compromise metabolic health. Using mouse genetics and metabolic phenotypic data, we show that alterations of mt-tsRNAs are downstream of mitochondrial dysfunction in mice. Most importantly, single embryo transcriptomics of genetically hybrid two-cell embryos demonstrated sperm-to-oocyte transfer of mt-tsRNAs at fertilisation and implied them in the control of early embryo metabolism. Our study supports the importance of paternal health at conception for offspring metabolism, propose mt-tsRNAs as sperm-born environmental effectors of paternal inheritance and demonstrate, for the first time in a physiological and unperturbed setting, father-to-offspring transfer of sperm mt-tsRNAs at fertilisation.
Project description:PURPOSE: To examine if a parental high fat diet (HFD) influences metabolic health in two generations of offspring, and alters the germ cell (GC) transcriptome. PROCEDURE: GC-eGFP Sprague Dawley rats were weaned onto HFD (45% fat) or Control Diet (CD; 10% fat). After metabolic testing, founders (F0) were bred with controls, establishing the F1 generation. Germ cells from F0 males were isolated and their RNA sequenced. F1 rats were bred with control rats at 17 weeks to generate F2 offspring. FINDINGS: HFD resulted in 9.7% and 14.7% increased weight in male and female F0 respectively. F1 offspring of HFD mothers were heavier than controls. F1 daughters of HFD-fed males were also heavier. F2 male offspring derived from HFD-fed maternal grandfathers were 7.2% heavier, and exhibited increases of 31% in adiposity, 97% in plasma leptin and 300% in luteinising hormone to testosterone ratio. HFD exposure did not alter the F0 GC transcriptome. CONTROLS: Matched CD was consumed by all animals not consuming the HFD. Animals were compared to a parallel cohort of CD rats. CONCLUSIONS: HFD consumption by maternal grandfathers results in a disrupted metabolic phenotype in grandsons. This effect is not mediated by alterations to the GC transcriptome.
Project description:The discovery of RNAs (e.g. mRNAs, non-coding RNAs) in sperm has opened the possibility that sperm may function in delivering additional paternal information aside from solely providing the DNA1. Increasing evidence now suggests that sperm small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) can mediate intergenerational transmission of paternally acquired phenotypes, including mental stress2, 3 and metabolic disorders4-6. How sperm sncRNAs encode paternal information remains unclear, but the mechanism may involve RNA modifications. Here we show that deletion of a mouse tRNA methyltransferase, DNMT2, abolished sperm sncRNA-mediated transmission of high-fat diet (HFD)-induced metabolic disorders to offspring. Dnmt2 deletion prevented the elevation of RNA modifications (m5C, m2G) in sperm 30-40nt RNA fractions that are induced by HFD. Also, Dnmt2 deletion altered the sperm small RNA expression profile, including levels of tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs) and rRNA-derived small RNAs (rsRNA-28S), which might be essential in composing a sperm RNA ‘coding signature’ that is needed for paternal epigenetic memory. Finally, we show that Dnmt2-mediated m5C contributes to the secondary structure and biological properties of sncRNAs, implicating sperm RNA modifications as an additional layer of paternal hereditary information.
Project description:Spermatozoa harbor a complex and environment sensitive pool of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA)1, which influences offspring development and adult phenotypes1-7. Whether spermatozoa in the epididymis are directly susceptible to environmental cues is not fully understood8. We used two distinct paradigms of preconception acute high fat diet to dissect epididymal vs testicular contributions to the sperm sncRNA pool and offspring health. We show that epididymal spermatozoa, but not developing germ cells, are sensitive to the environment and identify mitochondrial tRNAs and their fragments (mt-tsRNA) as sperm-borne factors. In humans, mt-tsRNAs in spermatozoa correlate with BMI and paternal overweight at conception doubles offspring obesity risk and compromises metabolic health. Sperm sncRNA-seq of mice mutant for genes involved in mitochondrial function, and metabolic phenotyping of their wild-type offspring, suggest that alterations of mt-tsRNAs are downstream of mitochondrial dysfunction. Most importantly, single embryo transcriptomics of genetically hybrid two-cell embryos demonstrated sperm-to-oocyte transfer of mt-tRNAs at fertilisation and implied them in the control of early embryo transcription. Our study supports the importance of paternal health at conception for offspring metabolism, shows that mt-tRNAs are diet-induced and sperm-borne and demonstrates, for the first time in a physiological setting, father-to-offspring transfer of sperm mitochondrial RNAs at fertilization. This SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Project description:Sperm-derived tsRNAs could act as acquired epigenetic factors and contribute to offspring phenotypes. However, the roles of specific tsRNAs in early embryo development remain to be elucidated. Here, by using pigs as a research model, we probed the tsRNA dynamics during spermatogenesis and sperm maturation, and demonstrated the delivery of tsRNAs from semen-derived exosomes to spermatozoa. By microinjection of the antisense sequence into in vitro fertilized oocytes and subsequent single-cell RNA-sequencing of embryos, we identified a specific functional tsRNA group (Gln-TTGs) that participate in the early cleavage of porcine preimplantation embryos, probably by regulating cell cycle-associated genes. Thus, specific tsRNAs present in mature spermatozoa play significant roles during preimplantation embryo development.