1 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada.
2 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H9X 3V9, Canada.
3 Department of Biology, PERFORM Center, Concordia University, Montreal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada.
4 Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3G 1Y6, Canada; Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC H9X 3V9, Canada. Electronic address: sarah.kimmins@mcgill.ca.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest sperm H3K4me3 might serve as a metabolic sensor that connects paternal diet with offspring phenotypes via the placenta. This non-DNA-based knowledge of inheritance has the potential to improve our understanding of how environment shapes heritability and may lead to novel routes for the prevention of disease. This study highlights the need to further study the connection between the sperm epigenome, placental development, and children's health.