Rethinking the Central Dogma: Protein Amyloids acting as Transgenerational Epigenetic Memory Carriers: Commentary on “Noncanonical Inheritance of Phenotypic Information by Protein Amyloids” by Matthew Eroglu et al. (September 2, 2024)

Shreya Pal

doi:10.18192/osurj.v5i1.8094

Rethinking the Central Dogma: Protein Amyloids acting as Transgenerational Epigenetic Memory Carriers

Commentary on “Noncanonical Inheritance of Phenotypic Information by Protein Amyloids” by Matthew Eroglu et al. (September 2, 2024)

Authors

Shreya Pal University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18192/osurj.v5i1.8094

Abstract

Nucleic acids remain the primary mechanism for transmitting hereditary information across generations. Despite advances in genome-wide association studies and epigenetic reprogramming mechanisms, many familial traits and disease susceptibilities remain unexplained, a gap known as “missing heritability” (1). Conventionally, epigenetic inheritance is attributed to small RNA or chromatin/histone modifications. However, a revolutionary finding by Matthew Eroglu and colleagues identified amyloid-like protein aggregates in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) that persist across generations to influence developmental phenotypes. This suggests proteins can act as independent carriers of transgenerational epigenetic memory. This commentary examines how these findings challenge the Central Dogma, expand inheritance models, and redefine amyloids beyond disease pathology.

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Published

2026-06-17

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Commentaries

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