Alteration in mRNA expression in hippocampus and next-generation effects due to paternal exposure to the neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin

Accumulating evidence suggests that paternal environmental factors have epigenetic effects on sperm and influence offspring. Neonicotinoid pesticides, which are widely used around the world, are known to affect offspring phenotypes through maternal exposure in mice, but the effect of the paternal exposure remains unknown.The main purpose of this study was to estimate the neurobehavioral effects on offspring mice resulting from paternal exposure to the neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin (CLO).Hippocampal RNA sequence data revealed that paternal CLO exposure altered the expression of genes related to the nervous system in male offspring, affecting pathways such as axonal guidance signaling, synaptogenesis signaling pathway, and calcium signaling. Overall design: To understand the mechanisms of paternal exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide clothianidin (CLO) to the next generation, male C57BL/6N mice were administered the non-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of CLO (50 mg/kg/day). The mRNA in hippocampus was purified and analyzed by RNA-seq.