Defining the role of paternal PIWI-interacting RNAs in early embryo development
Unlike maternal contribution, how fathers influence offspring development is poorly understood. Evidence has brought small RNAs to light as crucial paternal regulators, but the mechanism is unknown. Our work suggests a paternal role for germline-enriched small RNAs—PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs)—in embryo development. Hallmark molecular events in a newly formed zygotic embryo, such as activation of the zygotic genome, determine its viability. We aim to understand the role of paternal piRNAs in such key events by interrogating dynamics of mRNAs, epigenetic marks, and small RNAs in embryos using high-throughput sequencing, CRISPR-mutant mouse models, and time-lapse imaging. Using piRNA as a molecular framework, our goal is to illuminate how paternal small RNAs influence embryo viability.
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