Rethinking evidence for epigenetic inheritance in human research.

IF 12.9 2区生物学 Q1 GENETICS & HEREDITY

Trends in Genetics Pub Date : 2026-08-14 DOI:10.1016/j.tig.2026.07.007

Solveig Løkhammer, Charlotte A M Cecil, Astanand Jugessur, Stéphanie Le Hellard, Isabelle M Mansuy

引用次数: 0

Abstract

In multicellular organisms, epigenetic inheritance is a process by which traits induced by life experiences or environmental factors in a parent are passed to offspring without involving changes in the DNA sequence, but rather in the epigenome. While epigenetic inheritance is evident in many species, from plants to rodents, it remains unproven in humans because of biological barriers, methodological complexity, and the difficulty of disentangling environmental from social and genetic factors. The unique human context of prolonged parental care, as well as cross-generational cultural and societal effects, compounds these difficulties and highlights the need for clear criteria to assess epigenetic inheritance claims. This article aims to help the field move from cataloging biological markers to conducting rigorous human research by clarifying key concepts and defining testable criteria as a guiding framework.

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重新思考人类研究中的表观遗传证据。

在多细胞生物中，表观遗传是由父母的生活经历或环境因素引起的性状遗传给后代的过程，不涉及DNA序列的变化，而是表观基因组的变化。虽然表观遗传在从植物到啮齿动物的许多物种中都很明显，但由于生物障碍、方法复杂性以及难以将环境因素与社会因素和遗传因素区分开来，表观遗传在人类中仍未得到证实。长期亲代照顾的独特人类环境，以及跨代文化和社会影响，使这些困难复杂化，并强调需要明确的标准来评估表观遗传主张。本文旨在通过澄清关键概念和定义可测试标准作为指导框架，帮助该领域从编目生物标记转向进行严格的人类研究。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Trends in Genetics 生物-遗传学

CiteScore

20.90

自引率

0.90%

发文量

160

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Launched in 1985, Trends in Genetics swiftly established itself as a "must-read" for geneticists, offering concise, accessible articles covering a spectrum of topics from developmental biology to evolution. This reputation endures, making TiG a cherished resource in the genetic research community. While evolving with the field, the journal now embraces new areas like genomics, epigenetics, and computational genetics, alongside its continued coverage of traditional subjects such as transcriptional regulation, population genetics, and chromosome biology. Despite expanding its scope, the core objective of TiG remains steadfast: to furnish researchers and students with high-quality, innovative reviews, commentaries, and discussions, fostering an appreciation for advances in genetic research. Each issue of TiG presents lively and up-to-date Reviews and Opinions, alongside shorter articles like Science & Society and Spotlight pieces. Invited from leading researchers, Reviews objectively chronicle recent developments, Opinions provide a forum for debate and hypothesis, and shorter articles explore the intersection of genetics with science and policy, as well as emerging ideas in the field. All articles undergo rigorous peer-review.