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RNA interference

Inheritance of an acquired immune response

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 13, page 3 (2012)Cite this article

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The possible transgenerational inheritance of acquired traits is a much debated phenomenon. Using infection of Caenorhabditis elegans by the flock house virus as a model, Rechav et al. showed non-Mendelian inheritance of the induced antiviral response over several generations. The immune memory was mediated by virus-derived small RNAs that function to silence the viral genome. The memory was transmitted independently of the original viral template.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Rechav, O. et al. Transgenerational inheritance of an acquired small RNA-based antiviral response in C. elegans. Cell 23 Nov 2011 (doi:10.1016/j.cell.2011.10.042)

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  1. Hannah Stower
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Stower, H. Inheritance of an acquired immune response. Nat Rev Genet 13, 3 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg3148

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