For the first time, a study reports an intergenerational epigenetic signature of violence, which has important implications for understanding the heritage of trauma.
- American researchers have documented a phenomenon in human beings: the genetic transmission of stress from one generation to another.
- In detail, among grandchildren of Hama Syrian survivors, 14 areas of the genome were modified in response to violence suffered by their grandmothers.
- Domestic, sexual, army … “We think that our work is relevant for many forms of violence, not only refugees”, according to researchers.
“Maternal trauma influence infants and can have an impact on future generations through epigenetic changes, such as DNA methylation (DNA). Research on intergenerational epigenetic transmission of the effects of trauma in humans are limited”, Researchers said at the University of Florida (United States) Institute of Genetics. This is why the latter looked at the subject in a study published in the review Scientific Reports.
Analyze the DNA of three generations of Syrian refugees who have experienced stressful events
As part of research, scientists have evaluated the DNA signatures of war -related violence by comparing germinal, prenatal and direct violence exhibitions on three generations of Syrian refugees. As a reminder, in 1982, the Syrian government besieged the city of Hama. Some families had experienced the attack on Hama, which caused the deaths of tens of thousands of citizens in sectarian violence, before fleeing to Jordan. Other families avoided Hama, but survived the recent civil war against the Assad regime.
In order to carry out the work, the American team has collected oral samples from grandmothers and pregnant mothers during the two conflicts, as well as their children. They each underwent violence at different stages of development. A total of 131 people from 48 families were included in the intervention. A laboratory analyzed the DNA of the participants to identify epigenetic changes and sought an association with the experience of violence experienced in families. Then, the data of volunteers who lived in stressful environments were compared to those of families who immigrated to Jordan before 1980, thus avoiding decades of violence in Syria.
Violence: 14 zones of the genome of children of war refugees have been modified
Among the grandchildren of Hama survivors, the authors discovered 14 areas of the genome who had been modified in response to violence suffered by their grandmothers. These 14 modifications show that epigenetic changes induced by stress can appear in future generations, as has already been observed in animals. The team also identified 21 epigenetic sites in the genomes of people who have directly undergone violence in Syria. She also pointed out that people exposed to violence in their mother’s belly presented signs of accelerated epigenetic aging, a type of organic aging that can be associated with susceptibility to age -related diseases.
For the time being, scientists do not clearly know what effect these epigenetic changes have on the lives of people who carry them in their genome. However, some research has established a link between the epigenetic changes induced by stress and diseases, such as diabetes. “We think that our work is relevant for many forms of violence, not only refugees. Domestic violence, sexual violence, armed violence, all different types of violence. We should study them. We should take them more seriously”concluded Connie Mulliganwho led the work.
