Assisted Reproductive Technology May Cause Epigenetic Errors

Am. J. Hum. Genet.
Epigenetics and Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Call for Investigation

Emily L. Niemitz et al.

Abstract

A surprising set of recent observations suggests a link between assisted reproductive technology (ART) and epigenetic errors—that is, errors involving information other than DNA sequence that is heritable during cell division. An apparent association with ART was found in registries of children with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and retinoblastoma. Here, we review the epidemiology and molecular biology behind these studies and those of relevant model systems, and we highlight the need for investigation of two major questions: (1) large-scale case-control studies of ART outcomes, including long-term assessment of the incidence of birth defects and cancer, and (2) investigation of the relationship between epigenetic errors in both offspring and parents, the specific methods of ART used, and the underlying infertility diagnoses. In addition, the components of proprietary commercial media used in ART procedures must be fully and publicly disclosed, so that factors such as methionine content can be assessed, given the relationship in animal studies between methionine exposure and epigenetic changes.

...

Indeed, the practice of ART has evolved largely outside the walls of academic medical research institutions, although there are certainly outstanding exceptions to this rule. Nevertheless, this largely extra-academic setting has consequences for ART research. For example, although outcomes affecting the success of pregnancy are closely studied, there has been a general lack of measures of long-term outcomes affecting the offspring themselves, related to the fact that ART and obstetrics care are performed by different people, often in different hospitals or cities. This history has important implications for understanding the consequences of this technology, and it is most important in any discussion of reproduction and disease to be clear about how little is known about these consequences.

Link

Posted by Dienekes at March 2, 2004 02:17 PM | PermaLink