Colin Conine, Ph.D.

Research

The Conine lab will investigate how regulatory RNAs carried by sperm influence embryonic development and offspring phenotype. During fertilization, a sperm and egg cell unite to combine genetic information provided by both parents. But sperm do more than transmit paternal genes: They deliver a complex payload of RNA molecules that can modulate inherited characteristics of offspring. As a postdoctoral fellow, I discovered that sperm RNAs are able to regulate embryonic gene expression after fertilization and that this regulation is important for embryo implantation and development. Now, using state-of-the-art techniques in reproductive biology, molecular biology, genomics, biochemistry, and genetics, I will fully catalog the RNAs transmitted by the sperm of a variety of mammals, from mice to humans, and determine which of these RNAs are responsible for regulating the activity of genes during embryonic development. This work will provide insights into the inheritance and predisposition of disease and potentially lead to novel treatments for male fertility and developmental disorders.