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Wang X, Guo S, Xiong L, Wu X, Bao P, Kang Y, Cao M, Ding Z, Liang C, Pei J, Guo X. Complete characterization of the yak testicular development using accurate full-length transcriptome sequencing. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 271:132400. [PMID: 38759851 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Alternative splicing is a prevalent phenomenon in testicular tissues. Due to the low assembly accuracy of short-read RNA sequencing technology in analyzing post-transcriptional regulatory events, full-length (FL) transcript sequencing is highly demanded to accurately determine FL splicing variants. In this study, we performed FL transcriptome sequencing of testicular tissues from 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and 4-year-old yaks and 4-year-old cattle-yaks using Oxford Nanopore Technologies. The obtained sequencing data were predicted to have 47,185 open reading frames (ORFs), including 26,630 complete ORFs, detected 7645 fusion transcripts, 15,355 alternative splicing events, 25,798 simple sequence repeats, 7628 transcription factors, and 35,503 long non-coding RNAs. A total of 40,038 novel transcripts were obtained from the sequencing data, and the proportion was almost close to the number of known transcripts identified. Structural analysis and functional annotation of these novel transcripts resulted in the successful annotation of 9568 transcripts, with the highest and lowest annotation numbers in the Nr and KOG databases, respectively. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed the key regulatory pathways and hub genes at various stages of yak testicular development. Our findings enhance our comprehension of transcriptome complexity, contribute to genome annotation refinement, and provide foundational data for further investigations into male sterility in cattle-yaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingdong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China
| | - Shaoke Guo
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China
| | - Lin Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China
| | - Xiaoyun Wu
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China
| | - Pengjia Bao
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China
| | - Yandong Kang
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China
| | - Mengli Cao
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China
| | - Ziqiang Ding
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China
| | - Chunnian Liang
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China
| | - Jie Pei
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China.
| | - Xian Guo
- Key Laboratory of Yak Breeding of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Institute of Husbandry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou 730050, PR China; Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding on Tibetan Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Lanzhou 730050, PR China.
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Liu Z, Dai H, Huo H, Li W, Jiang Y, Zhang X, Huo J. Molecular characteristics and transcriptional regulatory of spermatogenesis-related gene RFX2 in adult Banna mini-pig inbred line (BMI). Anim Reprod 2023; 20:e20220090. [PMID: 36922987 PMCID: PMC10010159 DOI: 10.1590/1984-3143-ar2022-0090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
RFX2 plays critical roles in mammalian spermatogenesis and cilium maturation. Here, the testes of 12-month-old adult boars of Banna mini-pig inbred line (BMI) were subjected to whole-transcriptome sequencing. The results indicated that the average expression (raw count) of RFX2 gene in BMI testes was 16138.25, and the average expression value of the corresponding transcript ENSSSCT00000043271.2 was 123.1898. The CDS of RFX2 obtained from BMI testes was 2,817 bp (GenBank accession number: OL362242). Gene structure analysis showed that RFX2 was located on chromosome 2 of the pig genome with 19 exons. Protein structure analysis indicated that RFX2 contains 728 amino acids with two conserved domains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that RFX2 was highly conserved with evolutionary homologies among mammalian species. Other analyses, including PPI networks, KEGG, and GO, indicated that BMI RFX2 had interactions with 43 proteins involving various functions, such as in cell cycle, spermatid development, spermatid differentiation, cilium assembly, and cilium organization, etc. Correlation analysis between these proteins and the transcriptome data implied that RFX2 was significantly associated with FOXJ1, DNAH9, TMEM138, E2F7, and ATR, and particularly showed the highest correlation with ATR, demonstrating the importance of RFX2 and ART in spermatogenesis. Functional annotation implied that RFX2 was involved in 17 GO terms, including three cellular components (CC), six molecular functions (MF), and eight biological processes (BP). The analysis of miRNA-gene targeting indicated that BMI RFX2 was mainly regulated by two miRNAs, among which four lncRNAs and five lncRNAs competitively bound ssc-miR-365-5p and ssc-miR-744 with RFX2, respectively. Further, the dual-luciferase report assay indicated that the ssc-miR-365-5p and ssc-miR-744 significantly reduced luciferase activity of RFX2 3'UTR in the 293T cells, suggesting that these two miRNAs regulated the expression of RFX2. Our results revealed the important role of RFX2 in BMI spermatogenesis, making it an intriguing candidate for follow-up studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhipeng Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Hongmei Dai
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Hailong Huo
- Yunnan Vocational and Technical College of Agriculture, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Weizhen Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Yun Jiang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Xia Zhang
- College of Life Science, Lyuliang University, Lvliang, Shanxi, China
| | - Jinlong Huo
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.,Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
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Yu CH, Xie T, Zhang RP, A ZC. Association of the common SNPs in RNF212, STAG3 and RFX2 gene with male infertility with azoospermia in Chinese population. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2017; 221:109-112. [PMID: 29277047 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejogrb.2017.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the association between the SNP rs4045481 in RNF212 gene, rs1050482 and rs11531577 in STAG3 gene as well as rs2288846 in RFX2 gene and male infertility with azoospermia in Chinese population. STUDY DESIGN Two hundreds and twenty infertile patients with azoospermia and 248 fertile men were recruited in the present study. The four SNPs investigated were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. The differences in allelic and genotypic frequencies between patients and controls were evaluated by chi-square test. RESULTS No significant differences in allele and genotype frequencies of SNP rs1050482 and rs11531577 in STAG3 gene as well as rs2288846 in RFX2 gene between patients with azoospermia and controls were observed. However, the frequencies of allele C(43.6% vs. 34.1%, P = 0.003, OR = 1.498, 95% CI 1.150-1.192) and genotype CC (24.6% vs. 12.0%, P = 0.001, OR = 2.346, 95% CI 1.448-3.858) were significantly higher in patients with azoospermia than those in controls at the rs4045481 locus in RNF212 gene. CONCULUSION The polymorphism of SNP rs4045481 in RNF212 gene might be associated with azoospermia and genotype CC of this SNP may be a risk factor of azoospermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-He Yu
- College of Basic Medicine, Dali University, Dali, 671000, China; Department of Reproductive Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Dali University, Dali, 671000, China
| | - Ting Xie
- College of Basic Medicine, Dali University, Dali, 671000, China
| | - Ruo-Peng Zhang
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Dali University, Dali, 671000, China
| | - Zhou-Cun A
- College of Basic Medicine, Dali University, Dali, 671000, China; Department of Genetics, College of Agriculture and Biology, Dali University, Dali, 671003, China.
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Tammimies K, Bieder A, Lauter G, Sugiaman-Trapman D, Torchet R, Hokkanen ME, Burghoorn J, Castrén E, Kere J, Tapia-Páez I, Swoboda P. Ciliary dyslexia candidate genes DYX1C1 and DCDC2 are regulated by Regulatory Factor X (RFX) transcription factors through X-box promoter motifs. FASEB J 2016; 30:3578-3587. [PMID: 27451412 PMCID: PMC5024701 DOI: 10.1096/fj.201500124rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
DYX1C1, DCDC2, and KIAA0319 are
three of the most replicated dyslexia candidate genes (DCGs). Recently, these DCGs
were implicated in functions at the cilium. Here, we investigate the regulation of
these DCGs by Regulatory Factor X transcription factors (RFX TFs), a gene family
known for transcriptionally regulating ciliary genes. We identify conserved X-box
motifs in the promoter regions of DYX1C1, DCDC2, and
KIAA0319 and demonstrate their functionality, as well as the
ability to recruit RFX TFs using reporter gene and electrophoretic mobility shift
assays. Furthermore, we uncover a complex regulation pattern between
RFX1, RFX2, and RFX3 and their
significant effect on modifying the endogenous expression of DYX1C1
and DCDC2 in a human retinal pigmented epithelial cell line
immortalized with hTERT (hTERT-RPE1). In addition, induction of ciliogenesis
increases the expression of RFX TFs and DCGs. At the protein level, we show that
endogenous DYX1C1 localizes to the base of the cilium, whereas DCDC2 localizes along
the entire axoneme of the cilium, thereby validating earlier localization studies
using overexpression models. Our results corroborate the emerging role of DCGs in
ciliary function and characterize functional noncoding elements, X-box promoter
motifs, in DCG promoter regions, which thus can be targeted for mutation screening in
dyslexia and ciliopathies associated with these genes.—Tammimies, K., Bieder,
A., Lauter, G., Sugiaman-Trapman, D., Torchet, R., Hokkanen, M.-E., Burghoorn, J.,
Castrén, E., Kere, J., Tapia-Páez, I., Swoboda, P. Ciliary dyslexia
candidate genes DYX1C1 and DCDC2 are regulated by
Regulatory Factor (RF) X transcription factors through X-box promoter motifs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristiina Tammimies
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden; Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Pediatric Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrea Bieder
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Gilbert Lauter
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | | | - Rachel Torchet
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | | | - Jan Burghoorn
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Eero Castrén
- Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juha Kere
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden; Molecular Neurology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; and Folkhälsan Institute of Genetics, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Isabel Tapia-Páez
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden;
| | - Peter Swoboda
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden;
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Pérez-Montero S, Carbonell A, Azorín F. Germline-specific H1 variants: the "sexy" linker histones. Chromosoma 2015; 125:1-13. [PMID: 25921218 DOI: 10.1007/s00412-015-0517-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2015] [Revised: 04/14/2015] [Accepted: 04/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The eukaryotic genome is packed into chromatin, a nucleoprotein complex mainly formed by the interaction of DNA with the abundant basic histone proteins. The fundamental structural and functional subunit of chromatin is the nucleosome core particle, which is composed by 146 bp of DNA wrapped around an octameric protein complex formed by two copies of each core histone H2A, H2B, H3, and H4. In addition, although not an intrinsic component of the nucleosome core particle, linker histone H1 directly interacts with it in a monomeric form. Histone H1 binds nucleosomes near the exit/entry sites of linker DNA, determines nucleosome repeat length and stabilizes higher-order organization of nucleosomes into the ∼30 nm chromatin fiber. In comparison to core histones, histone H1 is less well conserved through evolution. Furthermore, histone H1 composition in metazoans is generally complex with most species containing multiple variants that play redundant as well as specific functions. In this regard, a characteristic feature is the presence of specific H1 variants that replace somatic H1s in the germline and during early embryogenesis. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge about their structural and functional properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvador Pérez-Montero
- Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona, CSIC, Baldiri Reixac, 4, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute for Research in Biomedicine, IRB Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac, 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Albert Carbonell
- Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona, CSIC, Baldiri Reixac, 4, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.,Institute for Research in Biomedicine, IRB Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac, 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Fernando Azorín
- Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona, CSIC, Baldiri Reixac, 4, 08028, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institute for Research in Biomedicine, IRB Barcelona, Baldiri Reixac, 10, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
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Chung MI, Peyrot SM, LeBoeuf S, Park TJ, McGary KL, Marcotte EM, Wallingford JB. RFX2 is broadly required for ciliogenesis during vertebrate development. Dev Biol 2011; 363:155-65. [PMID: 22227339 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2011.12.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2011] [Revised: 12/09/2011] [Accepted: 12/19/2011] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
In Caenorhabditis elegans, the RFX (Daf19) transcription factor is a major regulator of ciliogenesis, controlling the expression of the many essential genes required for making cilia. In vertebrates, however, seven RFX genes have been identified. Bioinformatic analysis suggests that Rfx2 is among the closest homologues of Daf19. We therefore hypothesize that Rfx2 broadly controls ciliogenesis during vertebrate development. Indeed, here we show that Rfx2 in Xenopus is expressed preferentially in ciliated tissues, including neural tube, gastrocoel roof plate, epidermal multi-ciliated cells, otic vesicles, and kidneys. Knockdown of Rfx2 results in cilia-defective embryonic phenotypes and fewer or truncated cilia are observed in Rfx2 morphants. These results indicate that Rfx2 is broadly required for ciliogenesis in vertebrates. Furthermore, we show that Rfx2 is essential for expression of several ciliogenic genes, including TTC25, which we show here is required for ciliogenesis, HH signaling, and left-right patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei-I Chung
- Section of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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Pearl EJ, Jarikji Z, Horb ME. Functional analysis of Rfx6 and mutant variants associated with neonatal diabetes. Dev Biol 2011; 351:135-45. [PMID: 21215266 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.12.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2010] [Revised: 12/13/2010] [Accepted: 12/23/2010] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in rfx6 were recently associated with Mitchell-Riley syndrome, which involves neonatal diabetes, and other digestive system defects. To better define the function of Rfx6 in early endoderm development we cloned the Xenopus homologue. Expression of rfx6 begins early, showing broad expression throughout the anterior endoderm; at later stages rfx6 expression becomes restricted to the endocrine cells of the gut and pancreas. Morpholino knockdown of rfx6 caused a loss of pancreas marker expression, as well as other abnormalities. Co-injection of exogenous wild-type rfx6 rescued the morpholino phenotype in Xenopus tadpoles, whereas attempts to rescue the loss-of-function phenotype using mutant rfx6 based on Mitchell-Riley patients were unsuccessful. To better define the pleiotropic effects, we performed microarray analyses of gene expression in knockdown foregut tissue. In addition to pancreatic defects, the microarray analyses revealed downregulation of lung, stomach and heart markers and an upregulation of kidney markers. We verified these results using RT-PCR and in situ hybridization. Based on the different rfx6 expression patterns and our functional analyses, we propose that rfx6 has both early and late functions. In early development Rfx6 plays a broad role, being essential for development of most anterior endodermal organs. At later stages however, Rfx6 function is restricted to endocrine cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther J Pearl
- Laboratory of Molecular Organogenesis, Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal, 110 avenue des Pins Ouest, Montreal, QC H2V4K1, Canada.
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Hermo L, Pelletier RM, Cyr DG, Smith CE. Surfing the wave, cycle, life history, and genes/proteins expressed by testicular germ cells. Part 4: intercellular bridges, mitochondria, nuclear envelope, apoptosis, ubiquitination, membrane/voltage-gated channels, methylation/acetylation, and transcription factors. Microsc Res Tech 2010; 73:364-408. [PMID: 19941288 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.20785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
As germ cells divide and differentiate from spermatogonia to spermatozoa, they share a number of structural and functional features that are common to all generations of germ cells and these features are discussed herein. Germ cells are linked to one another by large intercellular bridges which serve to move molecules and even large organelles from the cytoplasm of one cell to another. Mitochondria take on different shapes and features and topographical arrangements to accommodate their specific needs during spermatogenesis. The nuclear envelope and pore complex also undergo extensive modifications concomitant with the development of germ cell generations. Apoptosis is an event that is normally triggered by germ cells and involves many proteins. It occurs to limit the germ cell pool and acts as a quality control mechanism. The ubiquitin pathway comprises enzymes that ubiquitinate as well as deubiquitinate target proteins and this pathway is present and functional in germ cells. Germ cells express many proteins involved in water balance and pH control as well as voltage-gated ion channel movement. In the nucleus, proteins undergo epigenetic modifications which include methylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation, with each of these modifications signaling changes in chromatin structure. Germ cells contain specialized transcription complexes that coordinate the differentiation program of spermatogenesis, and there are many male germ cell-specific differences in the components of this machinery. All of the above features of germ cells will be discussed along with the specific proteins/genes and abnormalities to fertility related to each topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Hermo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, 3640 University Street, Montreal, QC Canada H3A 2B2.
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Wolfe SA, Vanwert JM, Grimes SR. Transcription factor RFX4 binding to the testis-specific histone H1t promoter in spermatocytes may be important for regulation of H1t gene transcription during spermatogenesis. J Cell Biochem 2008; 105:61-9. [PMID: 18459115 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.21793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The X-box binding protein RFX4 is highly expressed in testis in contrast with other tissues, but its function there is unknown. Another family member abundant in testis, RFX2, has been shown to bind to the X-Box elements in the promoter of the testis specific histone H1t, which is expressed only in pachytene spermatocytes. RFX proteins are known to dimerize, and there is the possibility that the abundant testis RFX4, which is also expressed in pachytene spermatocytes as shown by RT-PCR and Western blotting, may interact with RFX2 in these cells. In EMSA anti-RFX2 polyclonal antibodies produce a supershifted complex with testis extracts and an X-Box probe. On the other hand, RFX4 polyclonal antibodies do not supershift the complex but appear to enhance formation of the complex. RFX4 appears to co-precipitate with RFX2 in immunoprecipitation, and to co-purify with RFX2 in an affinity purification using a biotinylated X-box affinity probe. In ChIP assays RFX4 also binds to the H1t promoter in vivo. These data suggest a possible regulatory role for RFX4 in transcription of the histone H1t gene during spermatogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven A Wolfe
- Research Service (151), Overton Brooks Veterans Administration Medical Center, Shreveport, Louisiana 71101-4295, USA
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10
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Aftab S, Semenec L, Chu JSC, Chen N. Identification and characterization of novel human tissue-specific RFX transcription factors. BMC Evol Biol 2008; 8:226. [PMID: 18673564 PMCID: PMC2533330 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-8-226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2008] [Accepted: 08/01/2008] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Five regulatory factor X (RFX) transcription factors (TFs)–RFX1-5–have been previously characterized in the human genome, which have been demonstrated to be critical for development and are associated with an expanding list of serious human disease conditions including major histocompatibility (MHC) class II deficiency and ciliaophathies. Results In this study, we have identified two additional RFX genes–RFX6 and RFX7–in the current human genome sequences. Both RFX6 and RFX7 are demonstrated to be winged-helix TFs and have well conserved RFX DNA binding domains (DBDs), which are also found in winged-helix TFs RFX1-5. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the RFX family in the human genome has undergone at least three gene duplications in evolution and the seven human RFX genes can be clearly categorized into three subgroups: (1) RFX1-3, (2) RFX4 and RFX6, and (3) RFX5 and RFX7. Our functional genomics analysis suggests that RFX6 and RFX7 have distinct expression profiles. RFX6 is expressed almost exclusively in the pancreatic islets, while RFX7 has high ubiquitous expression in nearly all tissues examined, particularly in various brain tissues. Conclusion The identification and further characterization of these two novel RFX genes hold promise for gaining critical insight into development and many disease conditions in mammals, potentially leading to identification of disease genes and biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syed Aftab
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada.
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vanWert JM, Wolfe SA, Grimes SR. Binding of RFX2 and NF-Y to the testis-specific histone H1t promoter may be required for transcriptional activation in primary spermatocytes. J Cell Biochem 2008; 104:1087-101. [DOI: 10.1002/jcb.21694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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12
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Bellora N, Farré D, Albà MM. Positional bias of general and tissue-specific regulatory motifs in mouse gene promoters. BMC Genomics 2007; 8:459. [PMID: 18078513 PMCID: PMC2249607 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-8-459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2007] [Accepted: 12/13/2007] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The arrangement of regulatory motifs in gene promoters, or promoter architecture, is the result of mutation and selection processes that have operated over many millions of years. In mammals, tissue-specific transcriptional regulation is related to the presence of specific protein-interacting DNA motifs in gene promoters. However, little is known about the relative location and spacing of these motifs. To fill this gap, we have performed a systematic search for motifs that show significant bias at specific promoter locations in a large collection of housekeeping and tissue-specific genes. Results We observe that promoters driving housekeeping gene expression are enriched in particular motifs with strong positional bias, such as YY1, which are of little relevance in promoters driving tissue-specific expression. We also identify a large number of motifs that show positional bias in genes expressed in a highly tissue-specific manner. They include well-known tissue-specific motifs, such as HNF1 and HNF4 motifs in liver, kidney and small intestine, or RFX motifs in testis, as well as many potentially novel regulatory motifs. Based on this analysis, we provide predictions for 559 tissue-specific motifs in mouse gene promoters. Conclusion The study shows that motif positional bias is an important feature of mammalian proximal promoters and that it affects both general and tissue-specific motifs. Motif positional constraints define very distinct promoter architectures depending on breadth of expression and type of tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás Bellora
- Research Unit on Biomedical Informatics, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
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