Project description:Intergenerational inheritance (Inter-I) of phenotypic characteristics has been demonstrated in plants and invertebrates, with epigenetic modifications playing a role in the inheritance of a variety of features such as appearance1, adaptation to stress, or resistance to infections. Here we provide evidence of Inter-I of transcriptional and epigenetic signatures of trained immunity to the progeny of mice that survived a sublethal systemic Candida albicans infection. Intergenerational trained mice (F1) presented with significant cellular, developmental, transcriptional, and epigenetic changes within the bone marrow resident myeloid effector and progenitor cell compartment. These alterations led to an enhanced responsiveness to in vivo endotoxin challenge and Escherichia coli infection, providing the offspring with protection against heterologous infections. These results argue for the contribution of Lamarckian evolutionary processes to protect against infections in vertebrates.
