Selfish conflict underlies RNA-mediated parent-of-origin effects. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38448590/)

These scientists wanted to understand how differences between our mom and dad's genes can affect how certain traits are passed down to us. They studied a specific gene called slow-1/grow-1 in a tiny worm called Caenorhabditis tropicalis. This gene is like a toxin-antidote pair, where the toxin can spread in the population by harming individuals who don't have it.

When they looked at how this gene was passed down from the mom and dad worms to their babies, they found something interesting. The slow-1 toxin was only active when it was inherited from the mom, but not when it came from the dad. This was because of a defense mechanism in the worms that could stop the toxin from being harmful when it was from the dad.

They discovered that a pathway in the worms called the PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway was responsible for this defense mechanism. This pathway could turn off the slow-1 gene when it came from the dad, but not when it came from the mom. They also found that the mom's mRNA (a type of genetic material) could help neutralize the toxin if it was inherited from her.

Overall, this study showed how differences in how genes are inherited from our parents can affect how certain traits are expressed. It also revealed a new way that organisms can protect themselves from harmful genes that try to spread in a population.

Pliota P., Marvanova H., Koreshova A., Kaufman Y., Tikanova P., Krogull D., Hagmuller A., Widen SA., Handler D., Gokcezade J., Duchek P., Brennecke J., Ben-David E., Burga A. Selfish conflict underlies RNA-mediated parent-of-origin effects. Nature. 2024 Apr;628(8006):122-129. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07155-z. Epub 2024 Mar 6.