We reach more than 65,000 registered users in Dec!!

Astronomy Others Geology Physics Psychology Medical
DNA

DNA "markings" may transmit learned experiences

Like  Save

Learned experiences can be transferred through genetic structures-not by changes to genes themselves, but rather, to how they are "marked" by other molecules, a study reports. Such "markings" are called epigenetic changes. Scientists in recent years have increasingly recognized them as playing important roles in biological inheritance. The finding that learned experiences ...



Learned ex­pe­ri­ences can be trans­ferred through ge­net­ic struc­tures-not by changes to genes them­selves, but rath­er, to how they are “marked” by oth­er mole­cules, a study re­ports.

Such “mark­ings” are called epige­net­ic changes. Sci­en­tists in re­cent years have in­creas­ingly rec­og­nized them as play­ing im­por­tant roles in bi­o­log­i­cal in­her­it­ance.

The find­ing that learn­ed ex­pe­ri­ences may be trans­ferred this way is part of a re­cent wave of re­search over­turn­ing what bi­ol­o­gists used to as­sume-that only in­forma­t­ion in the DNA it­self is passed across genera­t­ions.

The stu­dy, pub­lished on­line Dec. 1 in the re­search jour­nal Na­ture Neu­ro­sci­ence, ar­gues that mice bi­o­log­ic­ally in­her­it in­forma­t­ion learn­ed by their grand­fa­thers.

Genes can be turned on or off semi-permanently with mo­lec­u­lar changes to the DNA, known as epige­net­ic marks. Some of these changes are main­tained across genera­t­ions, oth­ers aren't. Through, epige­net­ic changes, past stud­ies have linked trau­mat­ic or stress­ful ex­pe­ri­ences in an­i­mals to ef­fects on lat­er genera­t­ions' emo­tion­al behaviours.

dna_cells-1600x1200[1]

In the new work, Bri­an Di­as and Ker­ry Ressler of the Em­o­ry Uni­vers­ity School of Med­i­cine in At­lan­ta, Ga. found that spe­cif­ic learn­ed in­forma­t­ion can al­so be trans­mit­ted through epige­net­ic changes in sperm.

The re­search­ers trained mice to fear a cher­ry blos­som-like smell and then let these mice mate and con­ceive off­spring. These off­spring showed more fear­ful re­sponses to whiffs of cher­ry blos­som than to a neu­tral scent de­spite nev­er hav­ing en­coun­tered the smells be­fore, the sci­en­tists said.

More­o­ver, they added, the next genera­t­ion of off­spring showed the same behaviour. This fear re­sponse was passed to off­spring even if they were con­ceived with ar­ti­fi­cial in­semina­t­ion us­ing sperm, ac­cord­ing to the re­search­ers.

They al­so found that both in the trained mice and their off­spring, the fear re­sponse was as­so­ci­at­ed with changes to brain re­gions used to de­tect the feared scent, and with epige­net­ic marks in the sperm on the gene re­spon­si­ble for de­tecting the smell.

dna-backgrounds-wallpapers[1]


Dna_wallpapers_12[1] 0000-compile.jpgb7ce5414-b59f-42e2-aebe-dd2651604bb8Larger[1]


Source : http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/130114_fairness.htm


Cite This Article as
wscience, "DNA "markings" may transmit learned experiences", MachPrinciple, April 14, 2014, https://machprinciple.com/post/dna-markings-may-transmit-learned-experiences

Leave a comment

0Likes

0Comments

Like   Share Share