ArticleDevelopmental cell2018
Small RNAs Are Trafficked from the Epididymis to Developing Mammalian Sperm.
Article in Developmental cell, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 222 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
222 citing papers in PubMed, 444 citations in OpenAlex.
- Paternal cytokine administration alters sperm small ncRNAs and offspring brain and behavior.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Paternal Exposure to the Neonicotinoid Pesticide Clothianidin Alters Sperm MicroRNA Profiles in Mice and Intergenerationally Reduces Locomotor Activity in Male Offspring.Journal of applied toxicology : JAT · 2026Article
- Comprehensive profiling of cell-free RNA in seminal plasma reveals functional links to spermatogenic impairment.Clinical and translational medicine · 2026Article
- The KIF6-RBP Complex Orchestrates mRNA Transport Required for Sperm Flagellar Assembly.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Dietary effects on cytosolic and mitochondrial tRNA abundance and modification patterns across mouse tissues.Genome research · 2026Article
- Nanotechnology in reproductive medicine: from gamete engineering to precision therapeutics.RSC advances · 2026Review
- Brown fat-specific RNA labelling reveals a network of inter-organ communication by secreted microRNAs.Nature metabolism · 2026Article
- Paternal Circadian Disruption Impairs Offspring Cognition via Sperm microRNAs.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Testicular origin of epigenetic inheritance independent of sperm mitochondrial DNA and epididymal exposure.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Deciphering RNA modification dynamics during spermatogenesis and sperm maturation.Science China. Life sciences · 2026Article
- Breed-specific divergence in boar sperm regulatory profiles involves piRNA and mitochondrial small RNAs.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2026Article
- Soma-to-germline miRNA inheritance through yolk promotes stress resilience in progeny.Nature structural & molecular biology · 2026Article
- Germline and Embryonic Mechanisms in the Epigenetic Inheritance of Neurodevelopmental and Cognitive Traits in Mammals.Biomolecules · 2026Review
- Environmentally-induced sperm RNAs shape placentation and fetal growth.Research square · 2026Article
- Sperm sncRNA networks are synchronized by a coordination between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and current stress.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Menstrual cycle-dependent expression of tRNA-derived fragments in healthy human endometrium and uterine fluid-derived extracellular vesicles.BMC genomics · 2026Article
- Epididymal extracellular vesicles harbor and convey mRNA to sperm for transfer to zygotes.Nucleic acids research · 2026Article
- tRNA-derived RNA processing in sperm transmits non-genetically inherited phenotypes to offspring in C. elegans.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Male obesity causes adipose mitochondrial dysfunction in FNature communications · 2026Article
162 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The biogenesis of the RNA payload of mature sperm is of great interest, because RNAs delivered to the zygote at fertilization can affect early development. Here, we tested the hypothesis that small RNAs are trafficked to mammalian sperm during the process of post-testicular maturation in the epididymis. By characterizing small RNA dynamics during germ cell maturation in mice, we confirm and extend prior observations that sperm undergo a dramatic switch in the RNA payload from piRNAs to tRNA fragments (tRFs) upon exiting the testis and entering the epididymis. Small RNA delivery to sperm could be recapitulated in vitro by incubating testicular spermatozoa with caput epididymosomes. Finally, tissue-specific metabolic labeling of RNAs in intact mice definitively shows that mature sperm carry RNAs that were originally synthesized in the epididymal epithelium. These data demonstrate that soma-germline RNA transfer occurs in male mammals, most likely via vesicular transport from the epididymis to maturing sperm.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.