Soma-to-Germline miRNA inheritance via Yolk Promotes Stress Resilience in Progeny

Soma-to-Germline miRNA inheritance via Yolk Promotes Stress Resilience in Progeny | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Soma-to-Germline miRNA inheritance via Yolk Promotes Stress Resilience in Progeny Germano Cecere, Névé Aupérin, Meetali Singh, Loan Bourdon, Almira Chervova, and 5 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4711258/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract At the onset of reproduction, oviparous animals synthesize large amounts of yolk in somatic tissues to provide lipids and other nutrients to their progeny. However, whether the yolk transports other types of molecules, such as RNAs with gene regulatory functions, remains largely unexplored. Here, we have biochemically purified the yolk granules in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and show they contain microRNAs (miRNAs). We provide evidence that the yolk transports such miRNAs from the mother’s intestine to the embryos via the lipoprotein yolk receptor RME-2. These yolk-enriched miRNAs inherited by the embryos regulate the transcriptomes of developing larvae. Moreover, environmental stresses and maternal age modulate the transfer of yolk-enriched miRNAs, providing stress resilience benefits to progeny. This discovery establishes a novel paradigm in intergenerational gene regulation, where the gut-germline axis orchestrates the transmission of environmental cues through yolk-enriched miRNAs. Our work reveals a new mechanism underlying the soma-to-germline transfer of epigenetic information in animals. Biological sciences/Molecular biology/Epigenetics/Gene silencing Biological sciences/Molecular biology/Non-coding RNAs/miRNAs Biological sciences/Molecular biology/RNAi Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryTable1.xlsx Supplemental Table 1 SupplementaryTable2.xlsx Supplemental Table 2 SupplementaryTable3.xlsx Supplemental Table 3 SupplementaryTable4.xlsx Supplemental Table 4 SupplementaryTable5.xlsx Supplemental Table 5 SupplementaryTable6.xlsx Supplemental Table 6 SupplementaryTable7.xlsx Supplemental Table 7 SupplementaryTable8.xlsx Supplemental Table 8 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4711258","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":481373994,"identity":"a682c268-1b02-450d-a076-765656eee4f0","order_by":0,"name":"Germano 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