Fig. 3
The long RNA fraction from sperm of males exposed to MSUS is sufficient to mimic some metabolic alterations observed in natural offspring of MSUS fathers. Injection of sperm small RNA of F1 MSUS males into naïve zygotes (a) increases body weight (small RNA of controls n = 16, small RNA of MSUS n = 19, t(33) = 3, **p < 0.01; long RNA of controls n = 15, long RNA of MSUS n = 21, t(34) = 0.37; p > 0.05). Injection of long RNA (b) increases average caloric intake measured over 72 h (small RNA of controls n = 8, small RNA of MSUS n = 6, t(12) = 1.08, p > 0.05; long RNA of controls n = 8, long RNA of MSUS n = 6, t(12) = 2.29; p < 0.05) and (c) increases sensitivity to insulin after an insulin challenge (small RNA of controls n = 12, small RNA of MSUS n = 12, X2 (1, n = 24) = 0.6, p > 0.05; long RNA of controls n = 12, long RNA of MSUS n = 12, X2 (1, n = 24) = 2.7, p = 0.05). (d) Neither RNA fraction affects the glucose response after a glucose challenge (small RNA of controls n = 12, small RNA of MSUS n = 12, t(22) = 1.17; long RNA of controls n = 12, long RNA of MSUS n = 12, t(22) = 0.77; p > 0.05) in the resulting male offspring when adult. Data are median ± whiskers. Triangles: values that lie outside the 25th percentile minus 1.5 × the interquartile range (all values included in statistical analysis). *p ≤ 0.05, **p < 0.01
