Project description
Investigating the potential male reproductive toxicity of DBP
Does paternal epigenetic inheritance affect offspring through epigenetic inheritance? Do male life experiences, such as adult exposure to the anti-androgenic model substance and environmental pollutant di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), affect offspring? The answers to such questions may have important public health implications. Some studies have shown that DBP has potential testicular toxicity. The EU-funded PATER project will explore this subject by researching paternal epigenetic inheritance and how this occurs in mammals. By linking animal experimental data about paternal transmission to human studies, PATER will determine a causal connection between environmentally induced biomolecular alterations in sperm and offspring phenotype. To date, the effects of adult anti-androgen exposure on the sperm epigenome and offspring phenotype have been scarcely studied.
Objective
Epigenetic inheritance may not only occur in plants and fungi but also in mammals. While the effect of maternal lifestyle and in utero exposures is well studied, paternal epigenetic inheritance is a novel research field, especially in regard to chemical exposures. Many environmental pollutants exhibit anti-androgenic function. Despite the vital role of androgens in spermatogenesis, the effects of adult anti-androgen exposure on the sperm epigenome and offspring phenotype have been scarcely studied.
The overall aim of this novel project is to increase the understanding of if, and how, male life experiences such as adult exposure to the anti-androgenic model substance and pollutant DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) may affect offspring through paternal epigenetic inheritance. I accomplish this by integrating animal and human studies, using RNA-sequencing and mass spectrometry-based peptidomics to identify DBP-induced alterations in the sperm transcriptome and peptidome, examine noncoding RNAs and peptides role in embryogenesis, development and long-term health of the offspring in two generations. To validate the mechanistic importance of the sperm molecular alterations microinjections of selected biomolecules into zygotes will be conducted. This is the first project to investigate multigenerational effects of adult male exposure to anti-androgens in detail, and investigate the role of the sperm peptidome in paternal epigenetic inheritance. Directly linking animal experimental data about paternal transmission to human studies is unique and necessary to determine causal connection between environmentally-induced biomolecular alterations in sperm and offspring phenotype. The project can contribute to ground-breaking mechanistic understanding of how male life experiences may affect offspring through epigenetic inheritance. The findings may also have important public health implications via new regulations of anti-androgenic chemicals and male preconceptional interventions.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
- natural sciences biological sciences developmental biology
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics epigenetics
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-STG - Starting Grant
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2018-STG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
10691 Stockholm
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.