RNA activities of trans species: RNA from the sperm of the father of an autistic child programs glial cells and behavioral disorders in mice.

Recently, we described the alteration of six miRNAs in the serum of autistic children, their fathers, mothers, siblings and in the sperm of autistic mouse models. Studies in model organisms suggest that noncoding RNAs participate in transcriptional modulation pathways. Using mice, approaches to alter the amount of RNA in fertilized eggs enable invivo intervention at an early stage of development. Noncoding RNAs are very numerous in spermatozoa. Our study aims to address a fundamental question: Can the transfer of RNA content from sperm to eggs result in changes in phenotypic traits, such as autism? To explore this, we utilized RNA from the sperm of a father with autistic children and microinjected it into fertilized mouse eggs, thus creating mouse models for autism. Here, we induced in a single step by microinjection of sperm RNA into fertilized eggs the transformation of glial cells into cells capable of developing `autism-like` disorders in mice born from these alterations.