• Question: studies show that your genes can adapt to the environment you live in as you grow. women are born with eggs already in their bodies. would the egg's genes inside a woman also change as well as your own genes or would they stay as they were at the beginning?

    Asked by Snow201 to David, Gemma, Juhi, Matt, Stéphane, Yinka on 13 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: Stéphane Berneau

      Stéphane Berneau answered on 13 Mar 2018:

      This is a great question.
      Genes will change in what we call, somatic cells. Somatic cells go in opposition with germ cells (egg and sperm).
      The chromosomes present in the egg are compacted. Therefore, there is no reparation going on for them if they get damaged. Moreover, they are fixed in the cross position (chiasmata) with their homologous chromosomes. Any disruptor will lead to the poor viability of the egg. That’s why the quality of egg cells decrease with age (and there is also a limited stock).
      In conclusion, egg genes are not going to change while they are blocked. However, men produce sperm almost until they die and the genes are very sensitive to the environment and lifestyle.

    • Photo: David Howard

      David Howard answered on 13 Mar 2018:

      Extending on what Stéphane has said it is also possible for changes to the epigenome to be made. The epigenome controls which genes are turned on and which are turned off. This changes have been shown to last for two generations, so the changes that affected your grandparents may also affect you. For example, changes to the epigenome of people who went through the Dutch famine in 1944-5 were found in later generations too.

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