Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Jul;7(Suppl 3):S328-S335.
doi: 10.21037/tau.2018.06.10.

Sperm epigenetics and aging

Timothy G Jenkins  1 , Kenneth I Aston  1 , Douglas T Carrell  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

Sperm epigenetics and aging

Timothy G Jenkins et al. Transl Androl Urol. 2018 Jul.

Abstract

Advanced paternal age has very real consequences in fertility, embryogenesis, and even offspring health. Specifically, advanced paternal age has been linked to delayed time to pregnancy and in some studies even appears to be linked to a decreased likelihood of achieving a pregnancy. Epidemiological and animal model evidence also suggests that the offspring of older fathers are at an elevated risk for neuropsychiatric disease. For these reasons it is essential that we have a comprehensive understanding of what actually occurs in the gametes of the aging male. Available data suggest that there are very clear patterns of aging in the sperm epigenome that can be directly detected in DNA methylation patterns. Importantly, these alterations are so consistent that a predictive model has been successfully generated to predict an individual's age based only on sperm DNA methylation signatures. Because this metric is the most direct way to detect aging in sperm, it is logical that these signatures may offer predictive value for the offspring abnormalities that are also correlated with advanced paternal age and as such may offer a unique opportunity to generate diagnostic tools that can identify personalized risks for each couple hoping to achieve a pregnancy. While a great deal of work still needs to be performed to understand the real diagnostic utility of sperm epigenetic marks, the potential is real and warrants further investigation particularly in the context of advanced paternal age.

Keywords: Epigenetics; aging; male fertility; sperm.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram of the most prominent impacts of aging on fertility in both males and females.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Theoretical density plots depicting the differences in methylation alterations associated with age between human sperm and somatic cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lean SC, Derricott H, Jones RL, et al. Advanced maternal age and adverse pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2017;12:e0186287. 10.1371/journal.pone.0186287 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Idring S, Magnusson C, Lundberg M, et al. Parental age and the risk of autism spectrum disorders: findings from a Swedish population-based cohort. Int J Epidemiol 2014;43:107-15. 10.1093/ije/dyt262 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kuhnert B, Nieschlag E. Reproductive functions of the ageing male. Hum Reprod Update 2004;10:327-39. 10.1093/humupd/dmh030 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Miller B, Messias E, Miettunen J, et al. Meta-analysis of paternal age and schizophrenia risk in male versus female offspring. Schizophr Bull 2011;37:1039-47. 10.1093/schbul/sbq011 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Naserbakht M, Ahmadkhaniha HR, Mokri B, et al. Advanced paternal age is a risk factor for schizophrenia in Iranians. Ann Gen Psychiatry 2011;10:15. 10.1186/1744-859X-10-15 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources