中文摘要：

越来越多的证据表明,某些亲代的环境暴露,如化学物质接触、饮食习惯改变、精神刺激等均可以通过DNA序列之外的表观遗传途径＂记忆＂在配子中,并将亲代获得性性状传递给后代。近年来,有关配子介导的获得性性状跨代遗传的研究正在逐渐升温,使得过去曾被视为异端的＂拉马克遗传＂学说重新走上了科学舞台,并被认为是今后表观遗传学领域最具挑战、最有意义的研究方向之一。配子中的DNA甲基化、染色质改型及组蛋白修饰,以及非编码RNA均是潜在的表观遗传信息的携带者,深入研究这些表观遗传信息携带与传递规律,将为阐明配子介导的跨代遗传分子机制提供重要的理论依据。

英文摘要：

Increasing evidence indicates that certain parental environmental exposures, such as chemical contact, diet change and mental stress can be ＂memorized＂ and passed to future generations, suggesting epigenetic inheritance via germline. Such phenomenon raised significant interests and led to a resurrected interests to the once heretical concept of ＂Lamarckism＂. The potential ＂epigenetic carriers＂ in the germline include DNA methylation, chromatin structure/histone modifications and noncoding RNAs, further elucidating the molecular mechanism of transgenerational inheritance via mammalian germline would have a profound impact on our understanding of many modern disease etiology.