Recent Publications

April, 2026

Epididymal extracellular vesicles harbor and convey mRNA to sperm for transfer to zygotes

Highlighted in Science!

March, 2026

tRNA-derived RNA processing in sperm transmits non-genetically inherited phenotypes to offspring in C. elegans

Screenshot 2025-03-06 at 10.55.33 AM.png

March, 2025

A lack of commensal microbiota influences the male reproductive tract intergenerationally in mice

September, 2024

Epididymal acquired sperm microRNAs modify post-fertilization embryonic gene expression

April, 2024

The microbiota and T cells non-genetically modulate inherited phenotypes transgenerationally

March, 2026

Physiologic variation in sperm miRNAs tune embryonic gene regulatory programs and developmental outcomes

March, 2026

Acute Paternal Immune Activation Shapes Embryonic Development and Protects Offspring from Viral Infection

Skory RM, Domingo-Muelas A, Declercq S, Vandenberghe W, Tetlak P, Hernandez B, Stoop D, Conine CC, Biro M, Heindryckx B, Plachta N. Live imaging captures the events immediately following fertilization. Developmental cell. July 2026

Scacchetti A, Shields EJ, Trigg NA, Wilusz JE, Conine CC, Bonasio R.: A ligation-independent sequencing method reveals tRNA-derived RNAs with blocked 3' termini. Molecular cell. 2024

Senaldi, L, Hassan, N, Cullen, S, Balaji, U, Trigg, NA, Gu, J, Finkelstein, H, Phillips, K, Conine, CC, & Smith-Raska, M. Khdc3 Regulates Metabolism Across Generations in a DNA-Independent Manner. eLife. 2024

Crocker OJ, Trigg NA, Conine CC. Cloning and Sequencing Eukaryotic Small RNAs. Current Protocols. August 2022 cover feature

Lee GS, Conine CC . The Transmission of Intergenerational Epigenetic Information by Sperm microRNAs. Epigenomes. June 2022 cover feature

Conine, CC., Rando, OJ. Soma-to-germline RNA communication. Nature Reviews Genetics. 2021

Chan, IL, Rando, OJ, Conine, CC*. Effects of Larval Density on Gene Regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans During Routine L1 Synchronization. G3. 2018

Galan C, Serra RW, Sun F, Rinaldi VD, Conine CC, Rando OJ. Stability of the cytosine methylome during post-testicular sperm maturation in Mouse. PLOS Genetics. 2021

Conine, CC, Sun, F, Song, L, Rivera-Pérez, JA, Rando, OJ. Sperm Head Preparation and Genetic Background Affect Caput Sperm ICSI Embryo Viability: Cauda-Enriched miRNAs Only Essential in Specific Conditions. Developmental cell. 2020

Conine, CC, Sun, F, Song, L, Rivera-Pérez, JA, Rando, OJ. MicroRNAs Absent in Caput Sperm Are Required for Normal Embryonic Development. Developmental cell. 2019

Conine, CC, Sun, F, Song, L, Rivera-Pérez, JA, Rando, OJ. Small RNAs Gained during Epididymal Transit of Sperm Are Essential for Embryonic Development in Mice. Developmental Cell. 2018

Sharma, U, Sun, F, Conine, CC, Reichholf, B, Kukreja, S, Herzog, VA, Ameres, SL, Rando, OJ. Small RNAs Are Trafficked from the Epididymis to Developing Mammalian Sperm. Developmental Cell. 2018

Sharma, U, Conine, CC, Shea, JM, Boskovic, A, Derr, AG, Bing, XY, Belleannee, C, Kucukural, A, Serra, RW, Sun, F, Song, L, Carone, BR, Ricci, EP, Li, X., Fauquier, L, Moore,M. J., Sullivan, R, Mello, CC, Garber, M, and Rando, OJ. Biogenesis and function of tRNA fragments during sperm maturation and fertilization in mammals. Science. 2016

Conine, CC, Moresco, JJ, Gu, W, Shirayama, M, Conte, D, Jr, Yates, JR, III, and Mello, CC. Argonautes Promote Male Fertility and Provide a Paternal Memory of Germline Gene Expression in C. elegans. Cell. 2013

Conine CC, Batista PJ, Gu W, Claycomb JM, Chavez DA, Shirayama M, Mello CC. The Argonautes ALG-3 and ALG-4 are required for spermatogenesis-specific 26G-RNAs and thermotolerant sperm in Caenorhabditis elegans. PNAS. 2010

Patents

Colin Conine, Oliver Rando, Upasna Sharma: Process of delivering small RNAs to sperm. U.S.A. Patent Number 11299733, 2022

Recent Publications

Preprints

Other Peer Reviewed Publications

Skory RM, Domingo-Muelas A, Declercq S, Vandenberghe W, Tetlak P, Hernandez B, Stoop D, Conine CC, Biro M, Heindryckx B, Plachta N. Live imaging captures the events immediately following fertilization. Developmental cell. July 2026

Scacchetti A, Shields EJ, Trigg NA, Wilusz JE, Conine CC, Bonasio R.: A ligation-independent sequencing method reveals tRNA-derived RNAs with blocked 3' termini. Molecular cell. 2024

Senaldi, L, Hassan, N, Cullen, S, Balaji, U, Trigg, NA, Gu, J, Finkelstein, H, Phillips, K, Conine, CC, & Smith-Raska, M. Khdc3 Regulates Metabolism Across Generations in a DNA-Independent Manner. eLife. 2024

Crocker OJ, Trigg NA, Conine CC. Cloning and Sequencing Eukaryotic Small RNAs. Current Protocols. August 2022 cover feature

Lee GS, Conine CC . The Transmission of Intergenerational Epigenetic Information by Sperm microRNAs. Epigenomes. June 2022 cover feature

Conine, CC., Rando, OJ. Soma-to-germline RNA communication. Nature Reviews Genetics. 2021

Chan, IL, Rando, OJ, Conine, CC*. Effects of Larval Density on Gene Regulation in Caenorhabditis elegans During Routine L1 Synchronization. G3. 2018

Galan C, Serra RW, Sun F, Rinaldi VD, Conine CC, Rando OJ. Stability of the cytosine methylome during post-testicular sperm maturation in Mouse. PLOS Genetics. 2021

Conine, CC, Sun, F, Song, L, Rivera-Pérez, JA, Rando, OJ. Sperm Head Preparation and Genetic Background Affect Caput Sperm ICSI Embryo Viability: Cauda-Enriched miRNAs Only Essential in Specific Conditions. Developmental cell. 2020

Conine, CC, Sun, F, Song, L, Rivera-Pérez, JA, Rando, OJ. MicroRNAs Absent in Caput Sperm Are Required for Normal Embryonic Development. Developmental cell. 2019

Conine, CC, Sun, F, Song, L, Rivera-Pérez, JA, Rando, OJ. Small RNAs Gained during Epididymal Transit of Sperm Are Essential for Embryonic Development in Mice. Developmental Cell. 2018

Sharma, U, Sun, F, Conine, CC, Reichholf, B, Kukreja, S, Herzog, VA, Ameres, SL, Rando, OJ. Small RNAs Are Trafficked from the Epididymis to Developing Mammalian Sperm. Developmental Cell. 2018

Conine, CC, Moresco, JJ, Gu, W, Shirayama, M, Conte, D, Jr, Yates, JR, III, and Mello, CC. Argonautes Promote Male Fertility and Provide a Paternal Memory of Germline Gene Expression in C. elegans. Cell. 2013

Conine CC, Batista PJ, Gu W, Claycomb JM, Chavez DA, Shirayama M, Mello CC. The Argonautes ALG-3 and ALG-4 are required for spermatogenesis-specific 26G-RNAs and thermotolerant sperm in Caenorhabditis elegans. PNAS. 2010

Patents

Colin Conine, Oliver Rando, Upasna Sharma: Process of delivering small RNAs to sperm. U.S.A. Patent Number 11299733, 2022