Reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling and loss of promote repetitive DNA silencing in .

Non-coding small RNAs and Argonaute proteins mediate conserved defenses against foreign genetic elements. mutants in the insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) have previously been shown to exhibit an enhanced response to exogenous RNAi. Here, we found that the loss of IIS via enhances transgene silencing, which is reversed by knocking out .

Dynamic control of Argonautes by a rapidly evolving immunological switch.

Small RNAs (sRNAs), coupled with Argonaute proteins (AGOs), regulate diverse biological processes, including immunity against nucleic acid parasites. C. elegans possesses an expanded repertoire of at least 19 AGOs functioning in an intricate gene regulatory network (GRN).

Inheritance: Leaving sticky notes for the children.

It is currently unknown to what degree parents' life history can affect the next generation and how such information might be transmitted. A new study finds that nematodes transmit amyloid proteins to their progeny, which influence developmental processes.

Sex-specific developmental gene expression atlas unveils dimorphic gene networks in C. elegans.

Sex-specific traits and behaviors emerge during development by the acquisition of unique properties in the nervous system of each sex. However, the genetic events responsible for introducing these sex-specific features remain poorly understood. In this study, we create a comprehensive gene expression atlas of pure populations of hermaphrodites and males of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans across development.

Natural probiotics improve heritable sterility.

Disrupting the small RNA pathway and chromatin-modifying enzymes in C. elegans often leads to a mortal germline (Mrt) phenotype, characterized by progressive sterility observed over multiple generations at elevated temperature. This phenotype arises from the inheritance of aberrant epigenetic memory across generations.

Nucleus-independent transgenerational small RNA inheritance in .

In worms, epigenetic information transmits transgenerationally. Still, it is unknown whether the effects transfer to the next generation inside or outside of the nucleus. Here, we use the tractability of gene-specific double-stranded RNA-induced silencing to demonstrate that RNA interference can be inherited independently of any nuclear factors via mothers that are genetically engineered to transmit only their ooplasm but not the oocytes' nuclei to the next generation.

AI and the Doctor Dolittle challenge.

Talking to animals is a fundamental human desire. The emergence of powerful AI algorithms, and specifically Large Language Models, has driven many to suggest that we are on the verge of fulfilling this wish. A few large scientific consortia have been formed around this topic and several commercial entities even offer such services.

RNAlysis: analyze your RNA sequencing data without writing a single line of code.

Background: Among the major challenges in next-generation sequencing experiments are exploratory data analysis, interpreting trends, identifying potential targets/candidates, and visualizing the results clearly and intuitively. These hurdles are further heightened for researchers who are not experienced in writing computer code since most available analysis tools require programming skills. Even for proficient computational biologists, an efficient and replicable system is warranted to generate standardized results.

Quantitative analysis of C. elegans transcripts by Nanopore direct-cDNA sequencing reveals terminal hairpins in non trans-spliced mRNAs.

In nematodes and kinetoplastids, mRNA processing involves a trans-splicing step through which a short sequence from a snRNP replaces the original 5' end of the primary transcript. It has long been held that 70% of C. elegans mRNAs are submitted to trans-splicing.

The third barrier to transgenerational inheritance in animals: somatic epigenetic resetting.

After early controversy, it is now increasingly clear that acquired responses to environmental factors may perpetuate across multiple generations-a phenomenon termed transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI). Experiments with Caenorhabditis elegans, which exhibits robust heritable epigenetic effects, demonstrated small RNAs as key factors of TEI. Here, we discuss three major barriers to TEI in animals, two of which, the "Weismann barrier" and germline epigenetic reprogramming, have been known for decades.

ZNFX-1 keeps RNAi in the loop.

In a recent issue of Nature Cell Biology, Ouyang et al. examined the dynamics of double-stranded-RNA-induced gene-silencing across the Caenorhabditis elegans germline and in different subcellular locations. They distinguished among several small RNA amplification loops which complement each other and only together achieve full gene expression inhibition.

Transgenerational inheritance of sexual attractiveness via small RNAs enhances evolvability in C. elegans.

It is unknown whether transient transgenerational epigenetic responses to environmental challenges affect the process of evolution, which typically unfolds over many generations. Here, we show that in C. elegans, inherited small RNAs control genetic variation by regulating the crucial decision of whether to self-fertilize or outcross.

Plant and animal small RNA communications between cells and organisms.

Since the discovery of eukaryotic small RNAs as the main effectors of RNA interference in the late 1990s, diverse types of endogenous small RNAs have been characterized, most notably microRNAs, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs). These small RNAs associate with Argonaute proteins and, through sequence-specific gene regulation, affect almost every major biological process. Intriguing features of small RNAs, such as their mechanisms of amplification, rapid evolution and non-cell-autonomous function, bestow upon them the capacity to function as agents of intercellular communications in development, reproduction and immunity, and even in transgenerational inheritance.

Can brain activity transmit transgenerationally?

Memories encoded in the parent's brain should not be able to transfer to the progeny. This assumption, which is compatible with the tenets of modern neuroscience and genetics, is challenged by new insights regarding inheritance of transgenerational epigenetic responses. Here we reflect on new discoveries regarding "molecular memories" in light of older and scandalous work on "Memory transfer" spearheaded by James V.

Stress resets ancestral heritable small RNA responses.

Transgenerational inheritance of small RNAs challenges basic concepts of heredity. In nematodes, small RNAs are transmitted across generations to establish a transgenerational memory trace of ancestral environments and distinguish self-genes from non-self-elements. Carryover of aberrant heritable small RNA responses was shown to be maladaptive and to lead to sterility.

Oded Rechavi.

Interview with Oded Rechavi, who studies transgenerational small RNA inheritance in Caenorhabditis elegans at Tel Aviv University.

Transgenerational Inheritance: That Pathogen Gut Feeling.

Recognizing and remembering dangerous pathogens is of the utmost importance for an animal's survival. Nematodes use a digested bacterial small RNA molecule as a cue of pathogenicity. Inheritance of this RNA even protects the progeny from infection.

Germ Granules Allow Transmission of Small RNA-Based Parental Responses in the "Germ Plasm".

In the recent decade small RNA-based inheritance has been implicated in a variety of transmitted physiological responses to the environment. In , heritable small RNAs rely on RNA-dependent RNA polymerases, RNA-processing machinery, chromatin modifiers, and argonauts for their biogenesis and gene-regulatory effects. Importantly, many of these factors reside in evolutionary conserved germ granules that are required for maintaining germ cell identity and gene expression.

Systematic analysis of long intergenic non-coding RNAs in germline uncovers roles in somatic growth.

Long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) are transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that are transcribed from non-coding loci yet undergo biosynthesis similar to coding mRNAs. The disproportional number of lincRNAs expressed in testes suggests that lincRNAs are important during gametogenesis, but experimental evidence has implicated very few lincRNAs in this process. We took advantage of the relatively limited number of lincRNAs in the genome of the nematode to systematically analyse the functions of lincRNAs during meiosis.

Three Rules Explain Transgenerational Small RNA Inheritance in C. elegans.

Experiences trigger transgenerational small RNA-based responses in C. elegans nematodes. Dedicated machinery ensures that heritable effects are reset, but how the responses segregate in the population is unknown.