PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsCommentCan donor egg recipients 'pass on DNA' to their children?

BioNews

Can donor egg recipients 'pass on DNA' to their children?

Published 2 November 2015 posted in Comment and appears in BioNews 826

Author

Dr Jess Buxton

Image by Christoph Bock/Max Planck Institute for Informatics via Wikimedia Commons. Depicts a DNA molecule that is methylated on both strands on the centre cytosine.
CC BY-SA 3.0
Image by Christoph Bock/Max Planck Institute for Informatics via Wikimedia Commons. Depicts a DNA molecule that is methylated on both strands on the centre cytosine.

A recent study suggests that embryonic gene activity may be altered by factors present in the womb even before implantation. This finding triggered a somewhat misleading newspaper article entitled 'Infertile mums "pass on DNA"', which claimed the research means recipients of donor eggs are passing on their own DNA to their child. This isn't the case...

The idea that environmental conditions in the womb may have long-lasting effects on development and future health is well-established. We have known for some time, for example, that low birthweight is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in adulthood. The search for biological culprits that might underpin this and similar observations is a highly active area of research, a field known as DOHaD (developmental origins of health and disease). One promising line of enquiry is epigenetics, the study of enduring changes in gene activity. Through epigenetic alterations, the activity levels of some genes may be turned up — or down — in response to external cues present in our environment. This includes our first environment, the womb.

How early on in development might such changes occur? A recent study suggests that embryonic gene activity may be altered by factors present in the womb even before implantation. This finding triggered a somewhat misleading newspaper article entitled 'Infertile mums "pass on DNA"', which claimed the research means recipients of donor eggs are passing on their own DNA to their child. This isn't the case. But the scientists did discover a way in which women who conceive using donor eggs may affect the activity of their child's genes, from the earliest stages of pregnancy onwards.

The research team, based in Spain and the USA, studied molecules called microRNAs (1). As the name suggests, microRNAs are short sections of RNA, a chemical relative of DNA. Their job is to fine-tune the activity levels of genes during development and throughout life. As such, they are key part of the epigenetic machinery. MicroRNAs, like proteins, are themselves the products of genes - there are over 2500 known human microRNA genes. Each microRNA is predicted to have hundreds to thousands of different target genes, enabling
them to influence complex networks of gene activity in processes ranging from
growth and development to immunity.

The researchers first identified a set of microRNAs present in the nurturing fluid produced by the womb lining, specifically during the crucial 'window of implantation' — the time when the womb is most receptive to an embryo. They then focused on one particular microRNA, called hsa-miR-30d, which they studied further in mice. They found that after it is released by the womb lining, it is taken up into the embryo before implantation. The team then showed that the activity of several genes was 'turned up' in mouse embryos that had taken up the microRNA, compared to those that hadn't.

If confirmed by other teams, and if a similar effect of the microRNA is demonstrated in humans, then this would be a novel epigenetic mechanism through which the mother's genetic material appears to be influencing the activity of some of the embryo's genes. If each of our 20,000 or so protein-coding genes is thought of as having a 'dimmer' type switch, rather than a simple on/off switch, then the study shows that some switches may get turned up or down a bit just before implantation, in response to levels of hsa-miR-30d. However, what this might mean in terms of its effect on subsequent development of the embryo, or the future health of the resulting child, is unknown. As is often the case, more research is needed.

So the answer to the question 'Can donor egg recipients "pass on DNA" to their children?' is no. But can women who conceive using donor eggs affect their children's genes? Absolutely, as can those who conceive naturally. There is already plenty of evidence to support the beneficial effects of a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy on the developing fetus. And our experiences and environment continue to influence gene activity throughout our lives. What the new research shows is that the influence of the environment in the womb may start even earlier than previously realised.

Related Articles

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
9 May 2017 • 2 minutes read

Birthweight linked to genes involved in adult diseases

by Meetal Solanki

Genes involved in determining a baby's birthweight may also predispose them to diseases in later life, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, a global study has found...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
26 September 2016 • 2 minutes read

Gene therapy could prevent breast cancer from spreading

by Ebtehal Moussa

A new gene therapy technique using microRNAs has successfully prevented the spread of breast cancer in mice...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
Comment
9 August 2016 • 4 minutes read

Blurred boundaries — the language of DNA

by Professor Marcus Pembrey

The general public have appropriated the term DNA to mean much more than just the molecule itself. This may not be a problem most of the time but, in the case of donor eggs and sperm in particular, it's important that people are clear on what genetics and epigenetics really tell us...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
Reviews
7 July 2014 • 4 minutes read

Event Review: The Physiological Society's 2014 annual public lecture

by Dr Molly Godfrey

A doctor by training and a researcher at the forefront of fertility studies, Professor Lord Robert Winston, pioneer in the field of IVF and PGD, discusses the implications of new techniques for genetically modifying embryos in the Physiological Society's 2014 annual public lecture...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
25 April 2014 • 2 minutes read

Trauma can be passed down through sperm

by Dr Vikki Burchell

Stress in early life can alter the production of small sections of the genetic material RNA in the sperm of mice, affecting behaviour not only in the mice themselves but also in their offspring, research suggests...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
News
7 February 2014 • 2 minutes read

Pain sensitivity genes can be switched on or off depending on environment

by Claire Downes

Lifestyle and environmental factors can alter sensitivity to pain by switching certain genes on or off, according to research from King’s College London...

Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the output from a DNA sequencing machine.
CC BY 4.0
Image by Peter Artymiuk via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts the shadow of a DNA double helix, on a background that shows the fluorescent banding of the sequencing output from an automated DNA sequencing machine.
Comment
6 December 2013 • 4 minutes read

A whiff of fear down the generations

by Professor Marcus Pembrey

Last week saw a lot of media interest around a US study published in Nature Neuroscience reporting the transgenerational effects of fear-conditioning in mice...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
News
26 April 2010 • 1 minute read

Mother's lifestyle and environment can harm son's fertility, review finds

by Kyrillos Georgiadis

Expectant mothers' lifestyles and environment could have a 'major impact' on their sons' sperm counts, a study has found...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« Beating the biological clock - should you freeze your eggs?

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.

Find out how you can advertise here
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

FILM: 200 Years of Mendel – From Peas to Personalised Medicine

1 August 2022 • 4 minutes read

Women's Health Strategy plans reflect rising needs of same-sex female couples

25 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

Was the Women's Health Strategy worth the wait?

25 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

Why the UK should extend the 14-day rule to 28 days

25 July 2022 • 5 minutes read

200 Years of Mendel: From Peas to Personalised Medicine

15 August 2022 • 5 minutes read

Same-sex parent should not have been forced to adopt child

15 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

FILM: Editing the Human Genome – Where Are We Now? What Happens Next?

8 August 2022 • 4 minutes read

Citizenship and same-sex parents – about time, Sweden!

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

FILM: 200 Years of Mendel – From Peas to Personalised Medicine

1 August 2022 • 4 minutes read

Women's Health Strategy plans reflect rising needs of same-sex female couples

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856