In a recent study, Washington State University scientists showed that a single prenatal vinclozolin exposure increases disease risk across 20 rat generations, with conditions intensifying later. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this work by biologist Michael Skinner, who has studied epigenetic transgenerational inheritance for 20 years, expands our understanding of how long the intergenerational effects of toxic exposure may last, as they are passed down through alterations in reproductive cells.
Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance focuses on stable changes in sperm and egg cells. “Essentially, when a gestating female is exposed, the fetus is exposed,” Skinner said. “And then the germline inside the fetus is also exposed. From that exposure, the offspring will have potential effects of the exposure, and the grand offspring, and it keeps going. Once it's programmed in the germline, it's as stable as a genetic mutation.”
In a similar study published late last year, Skinner’s team looked at 10 generations of rats following an initial exposure of vinclozolin, a fungicide used primarily in fruit crops to control blight, mold and rot. The heightened prevalence of disease persisted through those generations.
The current study doubled the number of generations studied, showing a similar persistence of disease in the kidneys, prostate, testes and ovaries, as well as other health effects. “The presence of disease was pretty much staying the same, but around the 15th generation, what we started to see was an increased disease situation,” Skinner explained. “By the 16th, 17th, 18th generations, disease became very prominent and we started to see abnormalities during the birth process. Either the mother would die, or all the pups would die, so it was a really lethal sort of pathology.”
According to Skinner, epigenetic disease inheritance could help explain the rising rates of chronic disease in humans, an increase that paralleled the rising use of pesticides, fungicides and other environmental chemicals in agriculture and other industries. More than three-quarters of Americans now deal with a chronic disease such as heart disease, cancer or arthritis, and more than half have two diseases
“This study really does say that this is not going to go away,” Skinner said. “We need to do something about it. We can use epigenetics to move us away from reactionary medicine and toward preventative medicine.”
Publication details: A.A. Korolenko,E.E. Nilsson,S. De Santos, & M.K. Skinner, Stability of epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult-onset disease and parturition abnormalities, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 123 (8) e2523071123, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2523071123 (2026).
Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance focuses on stable changes in sperm and egg cells. “Essentially, when a gestating female is exposed, the fetus is exposed,” Skinner said. “And then the germline inside the fetus is also exposed. From that exposure, the offspring will have potential effects of the exposure, and the grand offspring, and it keeps going. Once it's programmed in the germline, it's as stable as a genetic mutation.”
In a similar study published late last year, Skinner’s team looked at 10 generations of rats following an initial exposure of vinclozolin, a fungicide used primarily in fruit crops to control blight, mold and rot. The heightened prevalence of disease persisted through those generations.
The current study doubled the number of generations studied, showing a similar persistence of disease in the kidneys, prostate, testes and ovaries, as well as other health effects. “The presence of disease was pretty much staying the same, but around the 15th generation, what we started to see was an increased disease situation,” Skinner explained. “By the 16th, 17th, 18th generations, disease became very prominent and we started to see abnormalities during the birth process. Either the mother would die, or all the pups would die, so it was a really lethal sort of pathology.”
According to Skinner, epigenetic disease inheritance could help explain the rising rates of chronic disease in humans, an increase that paralleled the rising use of pesticides, fungicides and other environmental chemicals in agriculture and other industries. More than three-quarters of Americans now deal with a chronic disease such as heart disease, cancer or arthritis, and more than half have two diseases
“This study really does say that this is not going to go away,” Skinner said. “We need to do something about it. We can use epigenetics to move us away from reactionary medicine and toward preventative medicine.”
Publication details: A.A. Korolenko,E.E. Nilsson,S. De Santos, & M.K. Skinner, Stability of epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of adult-onset disease and parturition abnormalities, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 123 (8) e2523071123, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2523071123 (2026).