TY - JOUR
T1 - Transgenerational inheritance of an acquired small RNA-based antiviral response in C. elegans
AU - Rechavi, Oded
AU - Minevich, Gregory
AU - Hobert, Oliver
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank A. Boyanov for small RNA preparation and deep sequencing; C. Mello for providing unc- linked rde strains; S.W. Ding for the FR1gfp transgene; Richard Friedman for advice on statistical methods; and Piali Sengupta, Sarah Hall, Iva Greenwald, and members of the Hobert lab for comments on the manuscript. O.R. is funded by a Bikura postdoc fellowship and a Gruss Lipper postdoc fellowship, and G.M. by a T32 predoctoral training grant (T32HD055165). O.H. is an investigator of the HHMI.
PY - 2011/12/9
Y1 - 2011/12/9
N2 - Induced expression of the Flock House virus in the soma of C. elegans results in the RNAi-dependent production of virus-derived, small-interfering RNAs (viRNAs), which in turn silence the viral genome. We show here that the viRNA-mediated viral silencing effect is transmitted in a non-Mendelian manner to many ensuing generations. We show that the viral silencing agents, viRNAs, are transgenerationally transmitted in a template-independent manner and work in trans to silence viral genomes present in animals that are deficient in producing their own viRNAs. These results provide evidence for the transgenerational inheritance of an acquired trait, induced by the exposure of animals to a specific, biologically relevant physiological challenge. The ability to inherit such extragenic information may provide adaptive benefits to an animal.
AB - Induced expression of the Flock House virus in the soma of C. elegans results in the RNAi-dependent production of virus-derived, small-interfering RNAs (viRNAs), which in turn silence the viral genome. We show here that the viRNA-mediated viral silencing effect is transmitted in a non-Mendelian manner to many ensuing generations. We show that the viral silencing agents, viRNAs, are transgenerationally transmitted in a template-independent manner and work in trans to silence viral genomes present in animals that are deficient in producing their own viRNAs. These results provide evidence for the transgenerational inheritance of an acquired trait, induced by the exposure of animals to a specific, biologically relevant physiological challenge. The ability to inherit such extragenic information may provide adaptive benefits to an animal.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=83255184978&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cell.2011.10.042
DO - 10.1016/j.cell.2011.10.042
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AN - SCOPUS:83255184978
SN - 0092-8674
VL - 147
SP - 1248
EP - 1256
JO - Cell
JF - Cell
IS - 6
ER -