Gene-Silencing RNA Passes from Parent to Offspring

A suspected agent of nongenetic inheritance—double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)—has been caught in the act. It has been observed leaving a parent’s circulation and entering an unfertilized egg cell, where it persisted even after the cell’s fertilization. Most significantly, the dsRNA’s gene-silencing effect also persisted, affecting gene expression in offspring.The finding that dsRNA can be passed from one generation to the next—and acts so simply, so directly—c