{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,23]],"date-time":"2026-09-23T10:59:52Z","timestamp":1790161192948,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":116,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,4,25]],"date-time":"2019-04-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1556150400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001171","name":"Cancer Institute NSW","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001171","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Andrology"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2019,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Our understanding of epididymal physiology and function has been transformed over the three decades in which the International Meeting Series on the Epididymis has been hosted. This transformation has occurred along many fronts, but among the most significant advances has been the unexpected discovery of the diversity of small non\u2010protein\u2010coding <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">RNA<\/jats:styled-content>s (<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">sRNA<\/jats:styled-content>s) expressed in the epididymal epithelium and differentially accumulated in the luminal population of spermatozoa.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title><jats:p>Here we survey recent literature pertaining to profiling the <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">sRNA<\/jats:styled-content> landscape of the mammalian epididymis with the goal of demonstrating the contribution that these key regulatory elements, and their associated pathways, make to epididymal physiology and sperm maturation.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results and discussion<\/jats:title><jats:p>High throughput sequencing strategies have fueled an unprecedented advance in our understanding of <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">RNA<\/jats:styled-content> biology. In the last decade, such high throughput profiling tools have been increasingly applied to study the mammalian epididymis, presaging the discovery of diverse classes of <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">sRNA<\/jats:styled-content> expressed along the length of the tract. Among the best studied <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">sRNA<\/jats:styled-content> classes are the micro<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">RNA<\/jats:styled-content>s (mi<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">RNA<\/jats:styled-content>), a <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">sRNA<\/jats:styled-content> species shown to act in concert with endocrine signals to fine\u2010tune the segmental patterning of epididymal gene expression. In addition to performing this homeostatic role, epithelial cell\u2010derived <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">sRNA<\/jats:styled-content>s also selectively accumulate into the epididymosomes and spermatozoa that occupy the duct lumen. This exciting discovery alludes to a novel form of intracellular communication that contributes to the establishment of the sperm epigenome and its modification under conditions of paternal stress.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Compelling literature has identified <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">sRNA<\/jats:styled-content>s as a crucial regulatory tier that allows the epididymis to fulfill its combined roles of sperm transport, maturation, and storage. Continued research in this emerging field will contribute to our growing understanding of the etiology of male factor infertility and potentially allow for the future design of rational therapeutic options for these individuals.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/andr.12640","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,4,25]],"date-time":"2019-04-25T08:40:02Z","timestamp":1556181602000},"page":"669-680","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":52,"title":["Profiling of epididymal small non\u2010protein\u2010coding <scp>RNA<\/scp>s"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2745-8188","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"B.","family":"Nixon","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science School of Environmental and Life Sciences The University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia"},{"name":"Reproduction and Pregnancy Program Hunter Medical Research Institute New Lambton Heights NSW Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G. 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