Role of paternal glucocorticoid receptor in the transmission of stress-induced epigenetic changes

Dysregulation of hormonal stress response is linked to many neuropsychiatric and -degenerative disorders. The high heritability of such disorders may be partially explained by epigenetic changes induced by hormone signaling transmitted to the germ cells. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a transcription factor that constitutes a key player in stress signaling involving corticoids. Surprisingly, GR is present in the transcriptionally silent sperm, implying a paternal role in fertilization or early embryos. Here, we investigate the role of GR in mediating stress-induced epigenetic changes in male mice that experienced strong acute stress and their offspring.