Germline specification and its role in epigenetic inheritance of diseases

The germline functions to perpetuate life and relay genetic and epigenetic information across generations. Errors during the germline specification cause devastating and long-lasting effects. Our knowledge of germline development in mammals has expanded considerably in recent time but some questions are remained. Among them, we aim to answer what regulate progenitor competence and then define cell quality to opt into germline specification and how certain genetic mutation affect gametogenesis. More interestingly, during early embryonic development, the germline undergoes extensive epigenetic reprogramming to ascertain “clean slate” to erase epigenetic memory from parents. The evolutionary advantage of these processes is to enable the organism to adapt to changing environment and minimize the risk of harmful traits. However, the degree of completeness and faithfulness of these processes still remain to be investigated. More and more studies have shown that parental health condition predisposes their offspring to develop diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and behavioral disorders. This process is referred to as epigenetic inheritance of diseases, which has also profound impact in Africa due to the high urban growth rate and significant shifts in lifestyle. We investigate how maternal endocrine diseases affect the germline that in turn systematically modify cellular and physiological function of the offspring.