Data from: Paternal intergenerational epigenetic response to heat exposure in male Wild guinea pigs

Epigenetic modifications, of which DNA methylation is the best studied one, can convey environmental information through generations via parental germ lines. Past studies have focused on the maternal transmission of epigenetic information to the offspring of isogenic mice and rats in response to external changes, whereas heterogeneous wild mammals as well as paternal epigenetic effects have been widely neglected. In most wild mammal species, males are the dispersing sex and have to cope with differing habitats and thermal changes. As temperature is a major environmental factor we investigated if genetically heterogeneous Wild guinea pig (Cavia aperea) males can adapt epigenetically to an increase in temperature and if that response will be transmitted to the next generation(s). Five adult male guinea pigs (F0) were exposed to an increased ambient temperature for 2 months, i.e. the duration of spermatogenesis. We studied the liver (as the main thermoregulatory organ) of F0 fathers and F1 sons, and testes of F1 sons for paternal transmission of epigenetic modifications across generation(s). Reduced representation bisulphite sequencing revealed shared differentially methylated regions in annotated areas between F0 livers before and after heat treatment, and their sons’ livers and testes, which indicated a general response with ecological relevance. Thus, paternal exposure to a temporally limited increased ambient temperature led to an ‘immediate’ and ‘heritable’ epigenetic response that may even be transmitted to the F2 generation. In the context of globally rising temperatures epigenetic mechanisms may become increasingly relevant for the survival of species.表观遗传修饰（epigenetic modification）中，DNA甲基化（DNA methylation）是研究最为深入的一类，可通过亲本生殖细胞系将环境信息跨代传递给子代。既往研究多聚焦于外界环境刺激下，同基因小鼠与大鼠（isogenic mice and rats）的母系表观遗传信息向子代的传递，而遗传异质性野生哺乳动物及父系表观遗传效应的相关研究却长期被广泛忽视。在多数野生哺乳动物类群中，雄性为扩散性别，需适应不同栖息环境与温度变化。鉴于温度是核心环境因子之一，本研究针对遗传异质性野生豚鼠（*Cavia aperea*）雄性个体，探究其能否通过表观遗传机制适应温度升高，且该适应性响应是否可跨代传递。本研究将5只成年雄性豚鼠（F0代）置于升高的环境温度中暴露2个月，该时长恰好对应豚鼠的精子发生（spermatogenesis）周期。我们分别对F0代父本、F1代子代的肝脏（作为主要体温调节器官）以及F1代子代的睾丸开展检测，以探究表观遗传修饰的父系跨代传递效应。简化代表性亚硫酸氢盐测序（reduced representation bisulphite sequencing）结果显示，F0代个体热处理前后的肝脏、其子代肝脏与睾丸的注释基因组区域中存在共有的差异甲基化区域（differentially methylated regions），这表明该表观遗传响应具备生态学相关性。由此可见，父本短暂暴露于升高的环境温度，可引发兼具‘即时性’与‘可遗传性’的表观遗传响应，该响应甚至可传递至F2代。在全球气温持续升高的背景下，表观遗传机制或许将对物种存续发挥愈发重要的作用。