title: Transgenerational inheritance of an acquired small RNA-based antiviral response in C. elegans.
abstract: 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.
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA. odedrechavi@gmail.com
authors: Oded
authors: O
authors: Rechavi
authors: Gregory
authors: G
authors: Minevich
authors: Oliver
authors: O
authors: Hobert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D005111:Extrachromosomal Inheritance; D016679:Genome, Viral; D030381:Nodaviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D012367:RNA, Viral