飢餓が雄性体線虫の生殖能力に及ぼす影響

Abstract

Epigentics has recently emerged as the third contributor, the genetic and environmental factors as the first two, for development of diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes in adult stage. The epigenetic modifications have been identified to be introduced into the genome during fertilization, embryogenesis and fetus development, and the quantity and quality of the modifications is known to be subjected to environmental conditions including nutrition. Thus, FOAD (Fetal Origin of Adult Diseases) theory, the molecular mechanism of which is mainly based on the epigenetic modifications, has become an attracting theory for prevention of the life-style related disease. There are not enough data, however, if the environmental conditions may affect differently between the sex of parent generation, or that of the progeny generation. To gain information, starvation was introduced to Caenorhabditis elegans male, and its effect on the fecundity was analyzed. We also analyzed if there exists difference between sex of the progeny worms, and showed that lifespan tended to extend in male progeny compared to hermaphrodite. The results indicate that different epigenetic modifications are introduced in the progeny generations leading to the possible establishment of sexual difference in the sensitivity toward the environmental factor.