Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs in female reproductive disorders: emerging roles and clinical implications

Female reproductive disorders present significant challenges worldwide. Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), a structurally diverse class of non-coding RNAs mainly comprising tRNA halves (tiRNAs) and tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs), have emerged as key regulators in human health and disease. This review outlines the biogenesis and functions of tsRNAs and summarizes their mechanistic involvement and clinical implications across a range of reproductive pathologies. In pregnancy-related complications, such as embryo implantation failure and recurrent spontaneous abortion, aberrant tsRNA profiles perturb trophoblast behavior, endometrial decidualization, and maternal–fetal crosstalk, thereby compromising placental development and pregnancy outcome. In benign gynecological conditions including premature ovarian failure and endometriosis, dysregulated tsRNAs disrupt granulosa cell survival, promote stromal proliferation, and reshape inflammatory signaling, ultimately altering follicular development and uterine homeostasis. As our understanding of tsRNA-mediated pathways deepens, these molecules offer promising potential as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for precision medicine in female reproductive disorders. Similar content being viewed by others Data availability Data were available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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R.J. and Y.D. designed the literature search strategy and performed the literature search and study selection. R.J., L.Z., and J.C. synthesized and interpreted the literature. R.J. and Y.D. drafted the manuscript. Y.D. and H.C. prepared the figures and tables. Y.Z., J.H., and J.Z. critically revised the manuscript for intellectual content. J.H. and J.Z. supervised the work. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Corresponding authors Ethics declarations Ethics approval Not applicable. Consent to participate Not applicable. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests. Additional information Publisher's Note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Rights and permissions Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law. About this article Cite this article Jiang, R., Deng, Y., Zou, L. et al. Transfer RNA-derived small RNAs in female reproductive disorders: emerging roles and clinical implications. J Assist Reprod Genet (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-026-03882-6 Received: Accepted: Published: Version of record: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-026-03882-6