Caenorhabditis elegans sperm carry a histone-based epigenetic memory of both spermatogenesis and oogenesis

Abstract

Paternal contributions to epigenetic inheritance via nucleosomes are poorly understood, as sperm in many organisms replace the majority of nucleosomes with protamines. Here the authors provide evidence that Caenorhabditis elegans sperm retain histone packaging of the genome and provide a histone-based epigenetic memory that is important for germ cell development in offspring.