Extracellular RNA is transported from one generation to the next in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: Experiences during the lifetime of an animal have been proposed to have consequences for subsequent generations. Although it is unclear how such intergenerational transfer of information occurs, RNAs found extracellularly in animals are candidate molecules that can transfer gene-specific regulatory information from one generation to the next because they can enter cells and regulate gene expression. In support of this idea, when double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is introduced into some animals, the dsRNA can silence genes of matching sequence and the silencing can persist in progeny. Such persistent gene silencing is thought to result from sequence-specific interaction of the RNA within parents to generate chromatin modifications, DNA methylation, and/or secondary RNAs, which are then inherited

SUBMITTER: Marre J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5098612 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature