Tracy Nguyen

Instructor: Malcolm Campbell

UWRIT 1103
November 10, 2016

Nature vs. Nurture: Does Maternal Diet Leave a Mark on Offsprings Epigenetics?

People used to think that genes carried the instructions to make humans body. Not until
50 years ago when epigenetics was discovered and given a name, this belief persisted in the
scientific community. The Nature vs. Nurture debate regarding epigenetics has been raised since
the last century and many have been interested in the connection between motherss epigenetic
pattern and that of offspring. Does maternal diet leave a mark on offsprings epigenetics? In
order to understand about epigenetics, we must understand the connection between genes and
gene expression.
Every living matter has DNA, a universal template to store genetic material. Within
DNA are genes, which carry the instructions to create different proteins, forming phenotypes or
physical characteristics of an individual. DNA polymerase is an enzyme that helps with the DNA
copying process. However, genes are not the only factor that determines phenotypes. There is a
higher power that controls the activation of those genes, called epigenetics. Epigenetics is the
study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration
of the genetic code itself. So how does epigenetics have this power to control gene expression?
According to an interview with Dr. Dana Dolinoy, a post-doctoral researcher at Duke University,
epigenetics consists of molecular switches and markers, such as DNA methylation.

Methylation is when a methyl group attaches to a specific DNA, preventing DNA polymerase
from performing its job. A useful analogy is to imagine a strand of DNA is the code on a credit
card, DNA polymerase is a swiping machine, and the methyl group is a piece of gum that sticks
on the credit cards code. Without the methyl group, the DNA would smoothly slide through the
DNA polymerase. With the methyl group, DNA cannot slide through the enzyme as easily.
There was a study conducted on mice to show the effects of maternal diet had on
offsprings epigenetics. Mice were used widely in scientific research since their genome shared
99% similarity with that of human. In this experiment, Agouti gene, a gene that makes mice
appear yellow and fat, was targeted. Initially, a mother mouse gave birth to one Agouti mouse
and a non-Agouti mouse, which was small and brown. Scientists wondered what caused the
difference between these two mice although they were identical twins and came from the same
mother. Knowing the methylation of epigenetics, they conducted a test to determine whether
methylation played a role in causing this difference. They exposed several mice when they were
pregnant to a chemical called bisphenil-A, or BPA. This chemical presents in many commonly
used products, including food and beverage containers, baby bottles, etc. When the mother mice
were fed with BPA, they gave birth to a significant amount of obese and yellow baby mice. This
proved that the BPA decreased methylation in the offspring and promoted the expression of the
Agouti gene when it was supposed to be off. They then started a second study in which they
exposed pregnant mice to BPA plus methyl nutritional supplement. Once they did this, they
observed that the offspring were no longer dominantly yellow and obese and there were more
slender offspring with brown coat. This indicated that maternal nutrient supplementation
[could] counteract the negative effects of exposure to that chemical.

At the end of World War 2, because the German blockade cut off the food supply, a
German-occupied part of Netherlands had to face extreme hunger known as the Dutch famine of
1944-1945 or the Hongerwinter. The article provides an overview of the Dutch famine and the
consequences the famine left on the succeeding generations. The Dutch famine was a disastrous
event that happened on a well-nourished population. Because of its experimental characteristics,
the Dutch famine has been studied by many people. It is a great example of how epigenetics
permanently alters gene expression after a generation-wide event. The famine mostly affected
health of unborn children during that time due to prenatal undernourishment. Studies were
conducted on children born within the famine years and who were born before that. The effects
of the famine appeared to depend on its timing during gestation, or the period when embryo
develops in the womb. Early gestation was thought to be the most vulnerable period. People
who were conceived during the famine were lighter at birth and more prone to diabetes,
schizophrenia, depression, stress, etc. They also had a doubled rate of coronary heart disease
later in life. These are all products of the gene regulation mechanisms within our bodies in
response to traumatic event.
Roughly a century and a half ago, said Timothy Erick, a Ph.D. candidate in Molecular
Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry at Brown University, the field of biology was
consumed by a debate over the nature of evolution. According to Charles Darwin, whose theory
of evolution involved natural selection, the genome of an organism mutates at random and
mutations that lead to survival advantages are more likely to be passed down through generation.
Darwins opponent was Jean-Baptise Lamark, whose theory of evolution was linked to acquired
traits. He argued that organisms acquire adaptive traits during their lifetimes and these traits are
then being passed on to their offspring. The debate on the mechanism that drives evolution

decisively settled with Darwins victory; yet, biologists, psychologists, and everyone in the
scientific field have spent the last century debating a more clear-cut question: the influence of
Nature versus Nurture in the development of an organism from embryo to adult. The debate was
between advocates of genetic determinism, people who believe development is driven upon
hardwired genetic code, and advocates of environmentalism, people who believe development is
influenced by an organisms interaction with its environment. According to Timothy Erick, the
Ph.D. candidate, It is primarily the field of epigenetics that has shed light on the interaction
between nature (genes) and nurture (environment). Epigenetics leads to individual differences
in appearance, physiology, cognition, or other phenotypic traits. The differences could easily be
noticed in identical twins, ones whose genes are completely the same. This is the nature aspect of
epigenetic in the debate. Environment, the nurture aspect, could also lead to changes in
epigenetics. A study was conducted on over 160 women with this different breast tumor stages.
Scientists were able to find the correlation between lifestyle and the risk factor for developing
breast cancer. They found that the P13 gene in those with smoking and drinking habits was
significantly methylated. The P13 gene is the policeman gene that prevents cells from
overgrow into a tumor. This proved that environment factors could also influence a persons
epigenetics (Christensen). The finding that life experiences can induce epigenetic changes in
individual organisms and their offspring alters the way we think about the nature versus nurture
debate, said Timothy Erick, the theories proposed by Darwin and Lamarck are perhaps not as
mutually exclusive as one believed. By acknowledging the interplay of nature and nurture in
shaping an organism, we will be able to acquire a better understanding of our evolution.
Although one cannot control the working mechanism of epigenetics, lifestyle choice can
have significant effects on ones gene expression, hence the nurture side of the debate. Changes

in epigenetics are inheritable and a mothers choice of dietary can leave a mark on her offspring
as the above studies have proven; And so consciously being aware of this fact prevents pregnant
women from doing anything that could potentially cause harm to their offspring.

Work cited

Chaddha, Rima. A Tale of Two Mice. PBS. 01 Jul. 2007. Web. 19 Oct. 2016.

Erick, Timothy. Epigenetics: How Nurture Shapes Our Nature. Footnote1, 14 Nov. 2014.
Web. 19 Oct. 2016.

Roseboom, Tessa, et al. Hungry in the womb: What are the consequences? Lessons from the
Dutch famine. Maturitas, vol. 70, no. 2, pp. 141-145. Science Direct. Oct. 2011. Web. 19
Oct. 2016.

Christensen, Brock C., et al. Breast Cancer DNA Methylation Profiles Are Associated with
Tumor Size and Alcohol and Folate Intake. PLOS, 29 Jul. 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2016.