Paternal cytokine administration alters sperm small ncRNAs and offspring brain and behavior (opens in new tab)

Paternal pre-conceptual exposure to pathogenic infection can alter offspring phenotypes via changes to sperm epigenetics, including small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). This phenomenon occurs even in the absence of infection when pathogen mimetics trigger paternal immune activation (PIA). While this implicates a shared component of the immune response, the specific mechanisms responsible remain unknown. Cytokines are a key component of innate immunity and are highly upregulated following exposure ...