The Somatic Impact on Inheritance and the Germline Control of the Soma.

Shoma Ishikawa, Björn Schumacher

1Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Disease and Cluster of Excellence: Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; email: [email protected], [email protected] for Genome Stability in Aging and Disease and Cluster of Excellence: Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; email: [email protected], [email protected]. · pubmed

Paper

Abstract

The faithful transmission of genomic DNA over succeeding generations is an essential prerequisite for species maintenance. The germplasm theory by August Weismann has been foundational for the current understanding of heredity; it proposed that genetic inheritance is exclusively mediated by germ cells while they are protecting heritable germline genomes from the phylogenetic influences of an individual's life history. However, recent studies on the inheritance of epigenetic variation have challenged the traditional dogma of heredity and opened new perspectives on molecular mechanisms of inheritance. This review highlights the current knowledge about heritable memories of the ancestral lifestyle and discusses emerging frontiers in soma-germline circuits with a focus on the control of the integrity of heritable genomes as well as their implications for somatic and reproductive aging.

The following analysis is generated by AI and may contain errors. It is separate from the authors’ abstract and is not peer review.

Research summary

The paper discusses the implications of somatic and reproductive aging in relation to the integrity of heritable genomes. This research is relevant as it explores the molecular mechanisms of inheritance and their potential impact on aging processes, which could contribute to understanding the root causes of aging.

Author of this paper? Send a correction.