Manipulation of the Extracellular Vesicle Biogenesis Pathway in Paternal Somatic Cells Contributes to the Phenotypic Fate of the Next Generation

Human and animal studies have shown that risk factors for certain diseases are linked to our father’s physiological and psychological condition. So far, mainly in vitro evidence indicates extracellular vesicles (EVs) as one of the potential mediators of these paternal effects. In a full in vivo model system, we demonstrate that targeting the EV biogenesis pathway within somatic cells of the male Drosophila melanogaster reproductive tract induces sex-specific phenotypic changes in the progeny. These findings highlight the critical role of the EV pathway in paternal somatic cells in shaping the phenotypic destiny of the next generation and underscore the necessity for further investigations into the mechanisms of somatic to germline information transfer.