biostudies-literatureGonczy PSwiss Federal Institute of Technology LausanneNIH HHSiyad048https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10158834biostudies-literatureUnknown224(1)Whereas both sperm and egg contribute nuclear genetic material to the zygote in metazoan organisms, the inheritance of other cellular constituents is unequal between the 2 gametes. Thus, 2 copies of the centriole are contributed solely by the sperm to the zygote in most species. Centrioles can have a stereotyped distribution in some asymmetric divisions, but whether sperm-contributed centrioles are distributed in a stereotyped manner in the resulting embryo is not known. Here, we address this question in Caenorhabditis elegans using marked mating experiments, whereby the presence of the 2 sperm-contributed centrioles is monitored in the embryo using the stable centriolar component SAS-4::GFP, as well as GFP::SAS-7. Our analysis demonstrates that the distribution of sperm-contributed centriGeneticsSperm-contributed centrioles segregate stochastically into blastomeres of 4-cell stage Caenorhabditis elegans embryos.PMC10158834P40 OD010440Gonczy PBalestra FRfalseSperm-contributed centrioles segregate stochastically into blastomeres of 4-cell stage Caenorhabditis elegans embryos.Whereas both sperm and egg contribute nuclear genetic material to the zygote in metazoan organisms, the inheritance of other cellular constituents is unequal between the 2 gametes. Thus, 2 copies of the centriole are contributed solely by the sperm to the zygote in most species. Centrioles can have a stereotyped distribution in some asymmetric divisions, but whether sperm-contributed centrioles are distributed in a stereotyped manner in the resulting embryo is not known. Here, we address this question in Caenorhabditis elegans using marked mating experiments, whereby the presence of the 2 sperm-contributed centrioles is monitored in the embryo using the stable centriolar component SAS-4::GFP, as well as GFP::SAS-7. Our analysis demonstrates that the distribution of sperm-contributed centri2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 May2025-07-02T03:04:23.337Z2025-04-05T00:11:40.342ZS-EPMC101588343698808210.1093/genetics/iyad048