title: Phenotype-environment mismatch due to epigenetic inheritance? Programming the offspring's epigenome and the consequences of migration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been suggested that epigenetic inheritance is an important factor influencing mortality. We use data about the historical population of Québec (years 1670-1740) to study whether parents modify their offspring's phenotype epigenetically prior to conception in response to predicted/perceived mortality. If so, children growing up in the predicted environment enjoy a phenotype-environment-match that should lower mortality, whereas children growing up in a nonpredicted environment should have a higher mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  We use the large urban-rural mortality differential to capture the predicted/perceived mortality environment. We categorize children into different groups by their migration status: conceived and living in the same environment (urban or rural); conceived in one but born in another environment (urban-to-rural or rural-to-urban); and born in one but migrating to another environment. We use Kaplan-Meier survival curves and fixed effect survival models to estimate to what extent child survival up to the age of 15 depends on migration status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Child mortality within families that moved from urban to rural areas does not depend on the child's migration status. Within families that moved to urban areas, children who were conceived and born in the rural areas exhibit the lowest mortality. This contradicts a phenotype-environment-mismatch scenario, which would result in higher rather than lower mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We do not find evidence for functional (adaptive) epigenetic inheritance. Migration into an environment with lower or higher extrinsic mortality affects child mortality within the families differently than predicted by the concept of epigenetic inheritance. The results suggest that epigenetic inheritance may not be important for child mortality among migrants.
authors: Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany. willfuehr@demogr.mpg.de
authors: Kai P
authors: KP
authors: Willführ
authors: Mikko
authors: M
authors: Myrskylä
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D046688:Child Mortality; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000266:history* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004777:Environment; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D010331:Paternal Age; D010641:Phenotype; D011157:Population Dynamics / Q000266:history* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011792:Quebec; D012424:Rural Population / Q000266:history / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014505:Urban Population / Q000266:history / Q000706:statistics & numerical data