Epigenetic Inheritance: Sending Memories Across Generations - Livestream

What is epigenetics and can epigenetic memories be passed from parents to children? Epigenetics in Greek literally means “above or in addition to genetics” and refers to chemical changes to the genome, outside of the genetic code itself, that can influence which genes are active (“expressed”) and which are silent. The Strome Lab at UC Santa Cruz is using a tiny model organism to tackle the burning question of whether epigenetic changes can be passed from parents to their children, and if those changes provide “epigenetic memories” to the children. The lab’s studies have focused on germ cells, eggs and sperm, which carry information across generations. They’ve discovered that germ cells pass an epigenetic memory of gene expression patterns from parents to offspring and that that memory is essential for the offspring’s germ cells to develop properly. Without that memory, the offspring are sterile…end of the line for that population!

Speaker: Dr. Susan Strome, UC Santa Cruz