Studies in mammals have shown that the 'memories' of various environmental effects – such as diet, weight, and stress – can be passed on from fathers to offspring, despite these effects not being coded for in the DNA sequences carried by sperm.
Thanks to a 2021 study, we have an explanation for how it's possible.. Molecules that attach themselves to DNA can act like on-off switches that control which sections of DNA get used – but until 2021, we didn't know which of these molecules can carry the settings marked by a father's life experiences, to be incorporated into an embryo via sperm.
"The big breakthrough with this study is that it has identified a non-DNA-based means by which sperm remember a father's environment and transmit that information to the embryo," McGill University epigeneticist Sarah KimminsUsing mice, epigeneticist Ariane Lismer and colleagues were able to demonstrate that the effects of a folate-deficient diet could be passed on by altering histone molecules in sperm.
In mammals, when male bodies build sperm, they throw out most of the histone spools, to allow for tighter packing. But a small percentage still remains , providing scaffolding for DNA in regions specific to sperm creation and function, metabolism, and embryo development – to allow the cellular mechanisms to make use of these DNA instructions.– is what allows or prevents the DNA to be 'read' so that it can be transcribed into protein products. Poor diet can cause these histones to change their methylation status.
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