Effect of Paternal Grandmother’s Food Supply on Infant Mortality Researchers are investigating long- reaching epigenetic effects of starvation, in part because historical data on periods of famine are widely available. Before the industrial revolution, a failed harvest in one autumn typically led to severe food shortages the following winter. A retrospective study has correlated female infant mortality at certain ages with the abundance of food during the paternal grandmother’s childhood. FIGURE 10.12 shows some of the results of this study.
FIGURE 10.12 Graph showing the relative risk of early death of a female child, correlated with the age at which her paternal grandmother experienced a winter with a food supply that was scarce (blue) or abundant (red) during childhood. The dotted line represents no difference in risk of morality. A value above the line means an increases risk; one below the line indicates a reduced risk.
1. Compare the mortality of girls whose paternal grandmothers ate well at age 2 with that of those who experienced famine at the same age. Which girl was more likely to die early? How much more likely was she to die?
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 10 Solutions
Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life (MindTap Course List)
- An epigenetic study of maternal care in mice was used to study transgenerational epigenetic inheritance. This study found that increased maternal care during childhood resulted in lower stress levels as adults and decreased maternal care with their own offspring. Increased maternal care during childhood resulted in lower stress levels as adults and increased maternal care with their own offspring. Increased maternal care during childhood resulted in higher stress levels as adults and decreased maternal care with their own offspring. Increased maternal care during childhood resulted in higher stress levels as adults and increased maternal care with their own offspring.arrow_forwardWhile multiple animal studies have found that food dyes are not associated with no genotoxic effect effects, transient DNA damages occur in the colon of mice treated by amaranth and tartrazine dyes. TRUE OR FALSE Ultra-pasteurized organic milk can last a few weeks (longer expiration date) longer than the week or two that pasteurized conventional milks are labeled with, because that organic milk does not have the additives that conventional milk may have. TRUE or FALSE Red 3 has replaced Red 40 in most foods, because Red 40 could increase the risk of thyroid tumors as shown in some animal studies. TRUE OR FALSE Since the introduction of many pest-resistant GM crops, the usage of glyphosate has declined on conventional agriculture products. TRUE OR FALSEarrow_forwardComparisons between human and chimpanzee genomes indicate that a gene that may function as a wild-type or normal gene in one primate may function as a disease-causing gene in another [The Chimpanzee Sequencing and Analysis Consortium (2005). Nature 437:69–87]. For instance, the PPARG locus (regulator of adipocyte differentiation) is a wild-type allele in chimps but is clearly associated with Type 2 diabetes in humans. What factors might cause this apparent contradiction? Would you consider such apparent contradictions to be rare or common? What impact might such findings have on the use of comparative genomics to identify and design therapies for disease-causing genes in humans?arrow_forward
- A/a O A"/a afa Q afa Q Unsupplemented Supplemented b A"/a offspring Unsupplemented mother Supplemented mother This question relates to the aqouti mice research discussed in the lecture. What did the researchers observe in the experimental group (AVYA x aa) that was fed diets high in methyl donors? They gained weight rapidly. Increased expression of aqouti gene. Reduced risk of chronic disease Higher percentage of yellow offspring.arrow_forwardStudies on monkeys have provided insight on the role of maternal care on the epigenome. Imagine you have 3 groups of monkeys. Group A: Monkeys raised by their biological mother. Group B: Monkeys raised by other monkeys that are not their biological mother. Group C: Monkeys raised by a human surrogate nurse. You then study the behavioural and epigenetic patterns of these monkeys. Which of the findings would be plausible from this study? A. Monkeys from group A will most likely become alcoholics. B. Monkeys from group B will be equally anxious compared to group C since neither were raised by their biological mother. C. Monkeys from group C will have a significantly different epigenomic pattern compared to group A. D. Groups A, B and C will have similar epigenomic patterns.arrow_forwardEpigenetics may be partially responsible for the childhood epidemic of obesity. Explain.arrow_forward
- The gene Igf2 for the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) promotes growth hormone production and cell proliferation, and is maternally imprited. The IGF receptor gene Igf2r counters the effects of the Igf2 gene and is paternally imprinted. In knockout experiments with mice, which combination of manipulated genes will result in mice that will grow to normal size? (a) The maternally derived Igf2r and paternally derived igf2 are both normally expressed. (b) The maternally derived Igf2r and paternally derived igf2 are both deleted. (c) The maternally derived Igf2r is normally expressed but the paternally derived Igf2 is deleted. (d) The paternally derived Igf2 is normally expressed but the maternally derived Igf2r is deleted. A. (c) and (d) B. (d) only C. (a) and (b) D. (a) onlyarrow_forwardThe introduction to this chapter describes the long-term effects of famine on people conceived during the Dutch Hunger Winter. Q. What additional evidence would help to demonstrate that these changes are due to epigenetic changes?arrow_forwardUsing coat color in mice and the development of female honeybees as examples, explain how dietary factors cause epigenetic modifications and thereby lead to phenotypic effects.arrow_forward
- Our understanding of maternal effect genes has been greatly aided by their identification in experimental organisms such as Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans. In experimental organisms with a short generation time, geneticists have successfully searched for mutant alleles that prevent the normal process of embryonic development. In many cases, the offspring die at early embryonic or larval stages. These are called maternal effect lethal alleles. How would a researcher identify a mutation that produced a recessive maternal effect lethal allele?arrow_forwardThrough GWAS explorations, scientists have identified several SNPs linked to obesity in people who livein the United States. One of these SNPs was within agene called FTO. Interestingly, a common FTO variant is associated with obesity, but only in people bornafter 1945. Moreover, the later the birth year, thehigher the risk for obesity associated with this variantof FTO. Why would a genetic risk factor for obesityvary by birth year?arrow_forward23arrow_forward
- Biology Today and Tomorrow without Physiology (Mi...BiologyISBN:9781305117396Author:Cecie Starr, Christine Evers, Lisa StarrPublisher:Cengage LearningHuman Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Co...BiologyISBN:9781305251052Author:Michael CummingsPublisher:Cengage Learning