THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE
Dear Friends and Colleagues
Rat Study Finds Glyphosate Increases Disease Incidence in Future Generations
Glyphosate is the world’s most widely-used herbicide, and is widely use in conjunction with GM glyphosate-resistant crops A recent study has found that exposure to glyphosate makes genetic changes to rats that can be linked to increased disease in their great-grand offspring (Item 1). The research team identified genetic changes in the rats’ sperm caused by the chemical. The study found that glyphosate exposure causes the sperm to accumulate hundreds of new histone retention sites, and they correlated those histones to specific diseases in subsequent generations.
The study provides evidence that glyphosate-induced changes to sperm from exposed rats could be used as biomarkers for determining propensity in subsequent generations for prostate and kidney diseases as well as obesity and incurring multiple diseases at once. In fact, by the time third- and fourth-generation rats whose predecessors had been exposed to the chemical were middle-aged, 90% had one or more of these health problems, a dramatically higher rate than the control group (Item 2).
This study follows a 2019 paper in which the same research lab demonstrated the ability of glyphosate to promote the transgenerational inheritance of disease in mice. This generational toxicology suggests the need to assess the impacts of environmental exposures on subsequent generations.
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Item 1
EPIGENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDY FOR GLYPHOSATE INDUCED TRANSGENERATIONAL SPERM DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONE RETENTION EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS FOR DISEASE
Millissia Ben Maamar , Daniel Beck , Eric E. Nilsson , Deepika Kubsad & Michael K. Skinner
Epigenetics
9 December 2020
https://doi.org/10.1080/15592294.2020.1853319
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15592294.2020.1853319
Abstract
The herbicide glyphosate has been shown to promote the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of pathology and disease in subsequent great-grand offspring (F3 generation). This generational toxicology suggests the impacts of environmental exposures need to assess subsequent generations. The current study was designed to identify epigenetic biomarkers for glyphosate-induced transgenerational diseases using an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS). Following transient glyphosate exposure of gestating female rats (F0 generation), during the developmental period of gonadal sex determination, the subsequent transgenerational F3 generation, with no direct exposure, were aged to 1 year and animals with specific pathologies identified. The pathologies investigated included prostate disease, kidney disease, obesity, and presence of multiple disease. The sperm were collected from the glyphosate lineage males with only an individual disease and used to identify specific differential DNA methylation regions (DMRs) and the differential histone retention sites (DHRs) associated with that pathology. Unique signatures of DMRs and DHRs for each pathology were identified for the specific diseases. Interestingly, at a lower statistical threshold overlapping sets of DMRs and DHRs were identified that were common for all the pathologies. This is one of the first observations that sperm histone retention can potentially act as a biomarker for specific diseases. The DMR and DHR associated genes were identified and correlated with known pathology specific-associated genes. Observations indicate transgenerational epigenetic biomarkers of disease pathology can be identified in the sperm that appear to assess disease susceptibility. These biomarkers suggest epigenetic diagnostics could potentially be used to facilitate preventative medicine.
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Item 2
GLYPHOSATE CAUSES GENETIC CHANGES LEADING TO INCREASED DISEASE IN FUTURE GENERATIONS – NEW STUDY
Sustainable Pulse
10 December 2020
https://sustainablepulse.com/2020/12/10/glyphosate-causes-genetic-changes-leading-to-increased-disease-in-future-generations-new-study/#.X_nCEhYRXIU
Exposure to the widely used weed-killer glyphosate makes genetic changes to rats that can be linked to increased disease in their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, a new study has found.
The study provides evidence that glyphosate-induced changes to sperm from exposed rats could be used as biomarkers for determining propensity in subsequent generations for prostate and kidney diseases as well as obesity and incurring multiple diseases at once. In fact, by the time third- and fourth-generation rats whose predecessors had been exposed to the chemical were middle-aged, 90% had one or more of these health problems, a dramatically higher rate than the control group.
While limited in scope, the study, which tested generational groups of around 50 rats each, provides a proof of concept that could lead to a new medical diagnostic tool, said Michael Skinner, the corresponding author on the study published in the journal Epigenetics on Dec. 9.
“While we can’t fix what’s wrong in the individual who is exposed, we can potentially use this to diagnose if someone has a higher chance of getting kidney or prostate disease later in life, and then prescribe a therapeutic or lifestyle change to help mitigate or prevent the disease,” said Skinner, a professor of biological sciences at Washington State University.
This study follows a 2019 paper in Scientific Reports in which Skinner’s lab demonstrated the ability of glyphosate to promote the transgenerational inheritance of disease in mice.
Glyphosate is widely used in agriculture and common in the human food supply. Previous research has indicated that the chemical has limited toxicology for those that ingest it since it has a short half-life and breaks down in the body quickly. However, Skinner’s research and other animal studies have provided evidence that health effects from glyphosate and other chemicals can be inherited by subsequent generations.
In this current study, the research team took those findings further by identifying genetic changes in the rats’ sperm caused by the chemical. Sperm have a unique property in their DNA, a group of proteins called histones that are connected like beads on a string. Skinner and his colleagues found that glyphosate exposure causes the sperm to accumulate hundreds of new histones retention sites, and they correlated those histones to specific diseases in subsequent generations.
“We need to change how we think about toxicology,” Skinner said. “Today worldwide, we only assess direct exposure toxicology; we don’t consider subsequent generational toxicity. We do have some responsibility to our future generations.”
The study focuses on sperm, but the researchers anticipate the same ability to find markers in the female germline or eggs. Additional research is needed, first replicating this study in larger groups of animals which would help pinpoint the disease susceptibility rates more precisely. Ultimately, the goal would be able to produce diagnostic tests for humans, but replicating the studies in humans will be challenging simply because glyphosate is so ubiquitous in our diet, Skinner said.
“Right now, it’s very difficult to find a population that is not exposed to glyphosate to have a control group for comparison,” he said.