Circadian rhythm synchronizes each body function with the environment and regulates physiology. Disruption of normal circadian rhythm alters organismal physiology and increases disease risk. Recent epidemiological data and studies in model organisms have shown that maternal circadian disruption is important for offspring health and adult phenotypes. Less is known about the role of paternal circadian rhythm for offspring health. Here, we disrupted circadian rhythm in male mice by night-restricted feeding and showed that paternal circadian disruption at conception is important for offspring feeding behavior, metabolic health, and oscillatory transcription. Mechanistically, our data suggest that the effect of paternal circadian disruption is not transferred to the offspring via the germ cells but initiated by corticosterone-based parental communication at conception and programmed during in utero development through a state of fetal growth restriction. These findings indicate paternal circadian health at conception as a newly identified determinant of offspring phenotypes.

Azrieli Faculty of Medicine Bar Ilan University Safed Israel

Cancer and Leukemia Epigenetics and Biology Program Josep Carreras Institute for Leukemia Research Badalona Spain

Chair of Experimental Genetics School of Life Science Weihenstephan Technische Universität München Freising Germany

Czech Centre for Phenogenomics Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Czech Academy of Sciences BIOCEV Prumyslova 595 252 50 Vestec Czech Republic

Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics University Hospital Essen Essen Germany

German Center for Diabetes Research Neuherberg Germany

German Mouse Clinic Institute of Experimental Genetics Helmholtz Zentrum München German Research Center for Environmental Health Neuherberg Germany

Institute of Experimental Genetics Helmholtz Zentrum München German Research Center for Environmental Health Neuherberg Germany

Program for Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute 08916 Badalona Spain

University of Groningen University Medical Center Groningen Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Groningen Netherlands

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Lab Anim (NY). 2021 Jul;50(7):165. doi: 10.1038/s41684-021-00797-w. PubMed

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