Amyloid/RNA Condensates with Germ Granule Characteristics Are Present in Rat Epididymal Spermatozoa and Exhibit Prion-Like Propagation Activity

Rat epididymal spermatozoa contain germ granule-like, amyloid-enriched condensates in the head perforatorium, including androgen receptor (AR) and TDP43 amyloid.

• Why it matters: The epigenetic carrier in mammalian sperm is unclear, and it matters to know whether conserved RNA/protein condensates can transmit environmentally encoded information.
• What they did: The authors identified perforatoria condensates in rat epididymal spermatozoa containing conserved germ granule markers and small noncoding RNAs, then tested perforatoria extracts as seeds for amyloid assembly.
• The result: Perforatoria extracts showed prion-like propagation by templating amyloid assembly of recombinant AR and TDP43, supporting a non-Mendelian protein-based inheritance mechanism in this system.

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