Meeting Abstract

77-6  Saturday, Jan. 6 09:15 – 09:30  Epigenetic transmission of maternal stress in a wild mammal MOREY, KC*; DANTZER, B; MCADAM, A; BOONSTRA, R; HUMPHRIES, MM; BOUTIN, S; NEWMAN, AEM; University of Guelph, Ontario; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; University of Guelph, Ontario; University of Toronto Scarborough, Ontario; McGill University, Quebec; University of Alberta, Edmonton; University of Guelph, Ontario kmorey@uoguelph.ca https://www.uoguelph.ca/ib/Morey

In laboratory model systems, the influence of maternal stress on the programming of an offspring’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and related pyschopathology is well-described. However, the impact of the maternal effects of chronic physiological stress in natural populations is poorly understood due to challenges with studying transgenerational effects in wild mammals. The Kluane Red Squirrel Project, a 30-year interdisciplinary field study in the southwest Yukon (Canada), provides a novel opportunity to explore transgenerational effects in a precise, manipulatable, and ecologically-relevant way. Previous research conducted in this study system identified hormone-mediated maternal effects on offspring growth rate. Nonetheless, it is unknown if maternal effects observed in red squirrel offspring are also being mediated by neural changes within the endocrine system. Using red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), we are investigating the epigenetic regulation of glucocorticoid receptor expression in the hypothalamus and hippocampus. Specifically, we are quantifying mRNA expression and DNA methylation in offspring born to stressed and unstressed mothers to understand a potential genetic mechanism for the transmission of these maternal effects. This research represents an ecologically relevant exploration of wildlife epigenetics and opens the door to exploring the adaptive benefits of chronic physiological stress in the natural world.