Male obesity negative affects gametic function and offspring metabolism. We here describe that (F0) obesity and weight loss in male mice reversibly alter metabolism and impair adipose mitochondrial function. These metabolic aberrations are transmitted to male offsprings (F1), which display reduced mitochondrial gene expression. Mechanistically, we identify microRNAs let-7d/e as epigenetic mediators induced in obese F0 sperm and in F0/F1 adipose tissue, where they silence the miRNA processor DICER1 and impair mitochondrial activity. Microinjecting let-7d/e into lean zygotes phenocopies the paternal obesity phenotype, inducing glucose intolerance and mitochondrial gene suppression in sired offspring. Single-cell RNA sequencing of blastomeres reveals that let-7d/e impair oxidative metabolism in early embryos. Furthermore, lifestyle-induced weight loss in males with obesity downregulates human HSA-LET-7D/E in semen, indicating a conserved role for let-7 in transmission of metabolic health. These findings demonstrate that microRNA let-7 in sperm reprograms offspring metabolism by modulating mitochondrial function during early development. Paternal obesity impacts offspring health, though the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, the authors show that male obesity drives adipose mitochondrial dysfunction in F1 mouse progeny via a let-7-DICER axis, identifying a pathway for intergenerational metabolic inheritance
Huang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.