Project 451944

Globally the prevalence of diabetes, obesity, infertility and other chronic diseases are on the rise. These increases have occurred at rates that cannot be due to changes to the DNA. Instead it is likely that rising rates of chronic disease are instead caused by environmental exposures such as diet and toxicants that modify can how our genes are used. The environment and other factors such as body weight can alter what is known as epigenetic information. The epigenetic layer associated with DNA is made up of heritable molecules in sperm that are transmitted at fertilization to the embryo. This information impacts how the embryo develops and the health of that child. The overarching goal of this research is to understand how environmental exposures alter the heritable epigenetic information to impact health across generations. These studies will create new knowledge that will allow for the development of intervention strategies to improve the health of men, babies and children.