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Piechka A, Sparanese S, Witherspoon L, Hach F, Flannigan R. Molecular mechanisms of cellular dysfunction in testes from men with non-obstructive azoospermia. Nat Rev Urol 2024; 21:67-90. [PMID: 38110528 DOI: 10.1038/s41585-023-00837-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Male factor infertility affects 50% of infertile couples worldwide; the most severe form, non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA), affects 10-15% of infertile males. Treatment for individuals with NOA is limited to microsurgical sperm extraction paired with in vitro fertilization intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Unfortunately, spermatozoa are only retrieved in ~50% of patients, resulting in live birth rates of 21-46%. Regenerative therapies could provide a solution; however, understanding the cell-type-specific mechanisms of cellular dysfunction is a fundamental necessity to develop precision medicine strategies that could overcome these abnormalities and promote regeneration of spermatogenesis. A number of mechanisms of cellular dysfunction have been elucidated in NOA testicular cells. These mechanisms include abnormalities in both somatic cells and germ cells in NOA testes, such as somatic cell immaturity, aberrant growth factor signalling, increased inflammation, increased apoptosis and abnormal extracellular matrix regulation. Future cell-type-specific investigations in identifying modulators of cellular transcription and translation will be key to understanding upstream dysregulation, and these studies will require development of in vitro models to functionally interrogate spermatogenic niche dysfunction in both somatic and germ cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arina Piechka
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sydney Sparanese
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Luke Witherspoon
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Faraz Hach
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ryan Flannigan
- Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Vancouver Prostate Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Department of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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2
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Takada H, Sasagawa Y, Yoshimura M, Tanaka K, Iwayama Y, Hayashi T, Isomura-Matoba A, Nikaido I, Kurisaki A. Single-cell transcriptomics uncovers EGFR signaling-mediated gastric progenitor cell differentiation in stomach homeostasis. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3750. [PMID: 37386010 PMCID: PMC10310803 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39113-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Defects in gastric progenitor cell differentiation are associated with various gastric disorders, including atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, and gastric cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying the multilineage differentiation of gastric progenitor cells during healthy homeostasis remain poorly understood. Here, using a single-cell RNA sequencing method, Quartz-Seq2, we analyzed the gene expression dynamics of progenitor cell differentiation toward pit cell, neck cell, and parietal cell lineages in healthy adult mouse corpus tissues. Enrichment analysis of pseudotime-dependent genes and a gastric organoid assay revealed that EGFR-ERK signaling promotes pit cell differentiation, whereas NF-κB signaling maintains gastric progenitor cells in an undifferentiated state. In addition, pharmacological inhibition of EGFR in vivo resulted in a decreased number of pit cells. Although activation of EGFR signaling in gastric progenitor cells has been suggested as one of the major inducers of gastric cancers, our findings unexpectedly identified that EGFR signaling exerts a differentiation-promoting function, not a mitogenic function, in normal gastric homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitomi Takada
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Technologies, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara, Japan
| | - Yohei Sasagawa
- Laboratory for Bioinformatics Research, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Functional Genome Informatics, Biological Data Science, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mika Yoshimura
- Laboratory for Bioinformatics Research, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Kaori Tanaka
- Laboratory for Bioinformatics Research, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Yoshimi Iwayama
- Laboratory for Bioinformatics Research, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Wako, Saitama, Japan
- Department of Functional Genome Informatics, Biological Data Science, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsutaro Hayashi
- Laboratory for Bioinformatics Research, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Ayako Isomura-Matoba
- Laboratory for Bioinformatics Research, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Itoshi Nikaido
- Laboratory for Bioinformatics Research, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Wako, Saitama, Japan.
- Department of Functional Genome Informatics, Biological Data Science, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan.
- Master's/Doctoral Program in Life Science Innovation (Bioinformatics), Degree Programs in Systems and Information Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Technology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
| | - Akira Kurisaki
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Technologies, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Takayama-cho, Ikoma, Nara, Japan.
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3
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Cai Y, Li N, Li H. YBX2 modulates mRNA stability via interaction with YTHDF2 in endometrial cancer cells. Exp Cell Res 2023; 427:113586. [PMID: 37030331 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2023.113586] [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: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023]
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) fine-tune gene expression by modulating RNA stability, translation, and degradation. RBPs are involved in the development of endometrial cancer. In particular, Y-box binding protein 2 (YBX2), a germ cell-specific member of the YBX family, has been reported to maintain cancer stem cell-like phenotypes in endometrial cancer. However, the mechanism by which YBX2 modulates mRNA stability in endometrial cancer cells remains unknown. In this study, we examined the effects of the ectopic expression of YBX2 in endometrial adenocarcinoma-derived Ishikawa cells. We found that elevated levels of YBX2 delayed cell proliferation, without increasing cell apoptosis. Transcriptomic analysis revealed disturbances in gene expression caused by YBX2. Interestingly, heat shock protein family A (Hsp70) member 6 (HSPA6) levels were downregulated due to the reduced mRNA stability after YBX2 binding. YBX2 facilitated the formation of relatively stable cytoplasmic granules in tumor cells via its mRNA-binding domain. Moreover, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) reader proteins are recruited by YBX2 granules via the cold-shock domains. Notably, knockdown of YTH N6-methyladenosine RNA-binding protein F2 (YTHDF2), an m6A reader, ameliorated the reduction in HSPA6 mRNA levels induced by YBX2, indicating the synergistic effects of YBX2 and YTHDF2 on mRNA stability. Therefore, YBX2 regulates RNA stability by interacting with the m6A reader proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Cai
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Na Li
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Huaibiao Li
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
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4
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Peart NJ, Johnson TA, Lee S, Sears MJ, Yang F, Quesnel-Vallières M, Feng H, Recinos Y, Barash Y, Zhang C, Hermann BP, Wang PJ, Geyer CB, Carstens RP. The germ cell-specific RNA binding protein RBM46 is essential for spermatogonial differentiation in mice. PLoS Genet 2022; 18:e1010416. [PMID: 36129965 PMCID: PMC9529142 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1010416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 10/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Control over gene expression is exerted, in multiple stages of spermatogenesis, at the post-transcriptional level by RNA binding proteins (RBPs). We identify here an essential role in mammalian spermatogenesis and male fertility for 'RNA binding protein 46' (RBM46). A highly evolutionarily conserved gene, Rbm46 is also essential for fertility in both flies and fish. We found Rbm46 expression was restricted to the mouse germline, detectable in males in the cytoplasm of premeiotic spermatogonia and meiotic spermatocytes. To define its requirement for spermatogenesis, we generated Rbm46 knockout (KO, Rbm46-/-) mice; although male Rbm46-/- mice were viable and appeared grossly normal, they were infertile. Testes from adult Rbm46-/- mice were small, with seminiferous tubules containing only Sertoli cells and few undifferentiated spermatogonia. Using genome-wide unbiased high throughput assays RNA-seq and 'enhanced crosslinking immunoprecipitation' coupled with RNA-seq (eCLIP-seq), we discovered RBM46 could bind, via a U-rich conserved consensus sequence, to a cohort of mRNAs encoding proteins required for completion of differentiation and subsequent meiotic initiation. In summary, our studies support an essential role for RBM46 in regulating target mRNAs during spermatogonia differentiation prior to the commitment to meiosis in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natoya J. Peart
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Taylor A. Johnson
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Sungkyoung Lee
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Matthew J. Sears
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Fang Yang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Mathieu Quesnel-Vallières
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Huijuan Feng
- Department of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Yocelyn Recinos
- Department of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Yoseph Barash
- Department of Genetics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Chaolin Zhang
- Department of Systems Biology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Brian P. Hermann
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - P. Jeremy Wang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Christopher B. Geyer
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Russ P. Carstens
- Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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5
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Chukrallah LG, Badrinath A, Vittor GG, Snyder EM. ADAD2 regulates heterochromatin in meiotic and post-meiotic male germ cells via translation of MDC1. J Cell Sci 2022; 135:jcs259196. [PMID: 35191498 PMCID: PMC8919335 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.259196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Male germ cells establish a unique heterochromatin domain, the XY-body, early in meiosis. How this domain is maintained through the end of meiosis and into post-meiotic germ cell differentiation is poorly understood. ADAD2 is a late meiotic male germ cell-specific RNA-binding protein, loss of which leads to post-meiotic germ cell defects. Analysis of ribosome association in Adad2 mouse mutants revealed defective translation of Mdc1, a key regulator of XY-body formation, late in meiosis. As a result, Adad2 mutants show normal establishment but failed maintenance of the XY-body. Observed XY-body defects are concurrent with abnormal autosomal heterochromatin and ultimately lead to severely perturbed post-meiotic germ cell heterochromatin and cell death. These findings highlight the requirement of ADAD2 for Mdc1 translation, the role of MDC1 in maintaining meiotic male germ cell heterochromatin and the importance of late meiotic heterochromatin for normal post-meiotic germ cell differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aditi Badrinath
- Department of Animal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Gabrielle G. Vittor
- Department of Animal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Elizabeth M. Snyder
- Department of Animal Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
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6
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Wu YK, Fan HY. Revisiting ZAR proteins: the understudied regulator of female fertility and beyond. Cell Mol Life Sci 2022; 79:92. [PMID: 35072788 PMCID: PMC11071961 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-022-04141-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 01/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Putative RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), zygote arrested-1 (ZAR1), and ZAR2 (also known as ZAR1L), have been identified as maternal factors that mainly function in oogenesis and embryogenesis. Despite divergence in their spatio-temporal expression among species, the CxxC structure of the C-terminus of ZAR proteins is highly conserved and is reported to be the functional domain for the activity of the RBPs of ZAR proteins. In oocytes from Xenopus laevis and zebrafish, ZAR proteins have been reported to bind to maternal transcripts and inhibit translation in immature growing oocytes, whereas in fully grown mouse oocytes, they promote the translation during meiotic maturation. Thus, ZAR1 and ZAR2 may be required for the maternal-to-zygotic transition by stabilizing the maternal transcriptome in oocytes with partial functional redundancy. In addition, recent studies have suggested non-ovarian expression and function of ZAR proteins, particularly their involvement in tumorigenesis. ZAR proteins are potentially associated with tumor suppressors and can serve as epigenetically inactivated cancer biomarkers. In this review, studies on Zar1/2 are systematically summarized, and some issues that require discussion and further investigation are introduced as perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Ke Wu
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, 866 Yu Hang Tang Rd., Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Heng-Yu Fan
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, 866 Yu Hang Tang Rd., Hangzhou, 310058, China.
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7
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Kretov DA. Role of Y-Box Binding Proteins in Ontogenesis. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2022; 87:S71-S74. [PMID: 35501987 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297922140061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Y-box binding proteins (YB proteins) are multifunctional DNA/RNA-binding proteins capable of regulating gene expression at multiple levels. At present, the most studied function of these proteins is the regulation of protein synthesis. Special attention in this review has been paid to the role of YB proteins in the control of mRNA translation and stability at the earliest stages of organism formation, from fertilization to gastrulation. Furthermore, the functions of YB proteins in the formation of germ cells, in which they accumulate in large amounts, are summarized. The review then discusses the contribution of YB proteins to the regulation of gene expression during the differentiation of various types of somatic cells. Finally, future directions in the study of YB proteins and their role in ontogenesis are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry A Kretov
- Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, USA, 02218.
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8
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Wang X, Wen Y, Zhang J, Swanson G, Guo S, Cao C, Krawetz SA, Zhang Z, Yuan S. MFN2 interacts with nuage-associated proteins and is essential for male germ cell development by controlling mRNA fate during spermatogenesis. Development 2021; 148:dev.196295. [PMID: 33674260 DOI: 10.1242/dev.196295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondria play a crucial role in spermatogenesis and are regulated by several mitochondrial fusion proteins. However, their functional importance associated with their structure formation and mRNA fate regulation during spermatogenesis remains unclear. Here, we show that mitofusin 2 (MFN2), a mitochondrial fusion protein, interacts with nuage-associated proteins (including MIWI, DDX4, TDRKH and GASZ) in mice. Conditional mutation of Mfn2 in postnatal germ cells results in male sterility due to germ cell developmental defects. Moreover, MFN2 interacts with MFN1, another mitochondrial fusion protein with a high-sequence similarity to MFN2, in testes to facilitate spermatogenesis. Simultaneous mutation of Mfn1 and Mfn2 in testes causes very severe infertile phenotypes. Importantly, we show that MFN2 is enriched in polysome fractions of testes and interacts with MSY2, a germ cell-specific DNA/RNA-binding protein, to control gamete-specific mRNA (such as Spata19) translational activity during spermatogenesis. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that MFN2 interacts with nuage-associated proteins and MSY2 to regulate male germ cell development by controlling several gamete-specific mRNA fates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoli Wang
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Yujiao Wen
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Jin Zhang
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Grace Swanson
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Shuangshuang Guo
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Congcong Cao
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Stephen A Krawetz
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Zhibing Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.,Department of Physiology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Shuiqiao Yuan
- Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China.,Shenzhen Huazhong University of Science and Technology Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, China
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9
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Brym P, Wasilewska-Sakowska K, Mogielnicka-Brzozowska M, Mańkowska A, Paukszto Ł, Pareek CS, Kordan W, Kondracki S, Fraser L. Gene promoter polymorphisms in boar spermatozoa differing in freezability. Theriogenology 2021; 166:112-123. [PMID: 33735665 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5'-flanking regulatory regions of genes could affect their expression levels. This is a follow-up study aimed to identify polymorphic variants in the 5'-flanking regulatory regions of genes expressed in boar spermatozoa, and to predict the interactions of such variants with transcription factors (TFs) on the gene promoter activity, using bioinformatics. Five and six boars were classified as having good and poor semen freezability (GSF and PSF, respectively) according to post-thaw (PT) assessment of sperm motility and membrane integrity characteristics. The 5'-flanking region sequences of the 14 genes (FOS, NFATC3, EAF2, FGF-14, BAMBI, RAB33B, CKS2, LARS2, SLC25A16, ACADM, CPT2, CCT3, DTD2 and CCDC85A) were PCR amplified and analyzed by Sanger sequencing method. A total of 32 polymorphic variants were identified in the 5'-flanking regions of the genes, including 4 insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphisms, and 8 unknown (novel) SNPs. Multiple sequence alignment analysis revealed a 26-bp indel variant in the 5'-flanking region of the LARS2 gene, which showed greater protein expression in spermatozoa from boars of the PSF group. It was found that 17 polymorphic variants, observed in the differentially expressed (DE) genes, showed significant allele frequency differences between the GSF and PSF groups. Polymorphic variants in the 5'-flanking regulatory regions of the genes contributed to the decrease or increase in the binding affinity for different testis-specific TFs, such as SMAD1, NF-1, FOXMI, RXRA, STAT4 and C/EBPβ. This study provides more insights into the mechanisms responsible for variations in transcriptional activity in promoters of genes expressed in boar spermatozoa. The allelic variants are promising genetic markers for predicting the freezability of boar spermatozoa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Brym
- Department of Animal Genetics, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland
| | | | - Marzena Mogielnicka-Brzozowska
- Department of Animal Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Anna Mańkowska
- Department of Animal Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Łukasz Paukszto
- Department of Plant Physiology, Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Chandra S Pareek
- Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Biological and Veterinary Sciences, Nicolaus Copernicus University, 87-100, Toruń, Poland
| | - Władysław Kordan
- Department of Animal Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Stanisław Kondracki
- Faculty of Agrobioengineering and Animal Husbandry, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, 08-110, Siedlce, Poland
| | - Leyland Fraser
- Department of Animal Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 10-719, Olsztyn, Poland.
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10
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Shalini V, Bhaduri U, Ravikkumar AC, Rengarajan A, Satyanarayana RMR. Genome-wide occupancy reveals the localization of H1T2 (H1fnt) to repeat regions and a subset of transcriptionally active chromatin domains in rat spermatids. Epigenetics Chromatin 2021; 14:3. [PMID: 33407810 PMCID: PMC7788777 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-020-00376-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background H1T2/H1FNT is a germ cell-specific linker histone variant expressed during spermiogenesis specifically in round and elongating spermatids. Infertile phenotype of homozygous H1T2 mutant male mice revealed the essential function of H1T2 for the DNA condensation and histone-to-protamine replacement in spermiogenesis. However, the mechanism by which H1T2 imparts the inherent polarity within spermatid nucleus including the additional protein partners and the genomic domains occupied by this linker histone are unknown. Results Sequence analysis revealed the presence of Walker motif, SR domains and putative coiled-coil domains in the C-terminal domain of rat H1T2 protein. Genome-wide occupancy analysis using highly specific antibody against the CTD of H1T2 demonstrated the binding of H1T2 to the LINE L1 repeat elements and to a significant percentage of the genic regions (promoter-TSS, exons and introns) of the rat spermatid genome. Immunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry analysis revealed the open chromatin architecture of H1T2 occupied chromatin encompassing the H4 acetylation and other histone PTMs characteristic of transcriptionally active chromatin. In addition, the present study has identified the interacting protein partners of H1T2-associated chromatin mainly as nucleo-skeleton components, RNA-binding proteins and chaperones. Conclusions Linker histone H1T2 possesses unique domain architecture which can account for the specific functions associated with chromatin remodeling events facilitating the initiation of histone to transition proteins/protamine transition in the polar apical spermatid genome. Our results directly establish the unique function of H1T2 in nuclear shaping associated with spermiogenesis by mediating the interaction between chromatin and nucleo-skeleton, positioning the epigenetically specialized chromatin domains involved in transcription coupled histone replacement initiation towards the apical pole of round/elongating spermatids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasantha Shalini
- From the Chromatin Biology Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore, 560064, India
| | - Utsa Bhaduri
- From the Chromatin Biology Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore, 560064, India.,Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.,European Union's H2020 TRIM-NET ITN, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Anjhana C Ravikkumar
- From the Chromatin Biology Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore, 560064, India
| | - Anusha Rengarajan
- From the Chromatin Biology Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore, 560064, India
| | - Rao M R Satyanarayana
- From the Chromatin Biology Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P.O., Bangalore, 560064, India.
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11
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Tang C, Xie Y, Yu T, Liu N, Wang Z, Woolsey RJ, Tang Y, Zhang X, Qin W, Zhang Y, Song G, Zheng W, Wang J, Chen W, Wei X, Xie Z, Klukovich R, Zheng H, Quilici DR, Yan W. m 6A-dependent biogenesis of circular RNAs in male germ cells. Cell Res 2020; 30:211-228. [PMID: 32047269 PMCID: PMC7054367 DOI: 10.1038/s41422-020-0279-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The majority of circular RNAs (circRNAs) spliced from coding genes contain open reading frames (ORFs) and thus, have protein coding potential. However, it remains unknown what regulates the biogenesis of these ORF-containing circRNAs, whether they are actually translated into proteins and what functions they play in specific physiological contexts. Here, we report that a large number of circRNAs are synthesized with increasing abundance when late pachytene spermatocytes develop into round and then elongating spermatids during murine spermatogenesis. For a subset of circRNAs, the back splicing appears to occur mostly at m6A-enriched sites, which are usually located around the start and stop codons in linear mRNAs. Consequently, approximately a half of these male germ cell circRNAs contain large ORFs with m6A-modified start codons in their junctions, features that have been recently shown to be associated with protein-coding potential. Hundreds of peptides encoded by the junction sequences of these circRNAs were detected using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, suggesting that these circRNAs can indeed be translated into proteins in both developing (spermatocytes and spermatids) and mature (spermatozoa) male germ cells. The present study discovered not only a novel role of m6A in the biogenesis of coding circRNAs, but also a potential mechanism to ensure stable and long-lasting protein production in the absence of linear mRNAs, i.e., through production of circRNAs containing large ORFs and m6A-modified start codons in junction sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chong Tang
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
- BGI Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, 518083, China.
| | - Yeming Xie
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Tian Yu
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Na Liu
- BGI Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Zhuqing Wang
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Rebekah J Woolsey
- Nevada Proteomics Center, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Yunge Tang
- Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics, National Health and Family Planning Commission, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
- Family Planning Research Institute of Guangdong Province, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
| | - Xinzong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics, National Health and Family Planning Commission, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
- Family Planning Research Institute of Guangdong Province, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
| | - Weibing Qin
- Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics, National Health and Family Planning Commission, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
- Family Planning Research Institute of Guangdong Province, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
| | - Ying Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics, National Health and Family Planning Commission, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
- Family Planning Research Institute of Guangdong Province, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
| | - Ge Song
- Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics, National Health and Family Planning Commission, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
- Family Planning Research Institute of Guangdong Province, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
| | - Weiwei Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Male Reproduction and Genetics, National Health and Family Planning Commission, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
- Family Planning Research Institute of Guangdong Province, No. 17 Meidong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, 510600, China
| | - Juan Wang
- BGI Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | | | | | - Zhe Xie
- BGI Co. Ltd., Shenzhen, 518083, China
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Copenhagen 13, 2100, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rachel Klukovich
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Huili Zheng
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - David R Quilici
- Nevada Proteomics Center, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA
| | - Wei Yan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, 89557, USA.
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12
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Zhang Z, Huang Q, Wang Z, Zou J, Yu Z, Strauss Iii JF, Zhang Z. Elongin B is a binding partner of the male germ cell nuclear speckle protein sperm-associated antigen 16S (SPAG16S) and is regulated post-transcriptionally in the testis. Reprod Fertil Dev 2020; 31:962-971. [PMID: 30811962 DOI: 10.1071/rd18303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we identified Elongin B, a regulatory subunit of the trimeric elongation factor Elongin ABC, which increases the overall rate of elongation by RNA polymerase II, as a major binding partner of sperm-associated antigen 16S (SPAG16S), a component of nuclear speckles. Nuclear speckles are nuclear subcompartments involved in RNA maturation. Previously, we showed that SPAG16S is essential for spermatogenesis. In the present study, a specific antibody against mouse Elongin B was generated and reacted with a protein with the predicted size of Elongin B in the testis; immunofluorescence staining revealed that the Elongin B was located in the nuclei and residual bodies. In round spermatids, Elongin B was colocalised with splicing factor SC35 (SC35), a marker of nuclear speckles. During the first wave of spermatogenesis, Elongin B transcripts were initially detected at Postnatal Day (PND) 8, and levels were greatly increased afterwards. However, Elongin B protein was only found from PND30, when germ cells progressed through spermiogenesis. Polysomal gradient analysis of Elongin B transcripts isolated from adult mouse testes revealed that most of the Elongin B mRNA was associated with translationally inactive, non-polysomal ribonucleoproteins. An RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that the 3' untranslated region of the Elongin B transcript was bound by proteins present in testis but not liver extracts. These findings suggest that post-transcriptional regulation of Elongin B occurs in the testis, which is a common phenomenon during male germ cell development. As a major binding partner of SPAG16S, Elongin B may play an important role in spermatogenesis by modulating RNA maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengang Zhang
- Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang da dao, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China; and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 E. Marshall Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Qian Huang
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University, 275E Hancock Street, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; and Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Occupational Hazard Identification and Control, School of Public Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 2 Huangjiahu xi lu, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, China
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University, 275E Hancock Street, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; and Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 2 Huangjiahu xi lu, Wuhan, Hubei 430065, China
| | - Jie Zou
- Wuhan Institute of Skin Disease Prevention and Control, 64 Wusheng lu, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, China
| | - Zuoren Yu
- Research Center for Translational Medicine, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, 150 Jimo lu, Shanghai, China
| | - Jerome F Strauss Iii
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 E. Marshall Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Zhibing Zhang
- Department of Physiology, Wayne State University, 275E Hancock Street, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, 275E Hancock Street, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; and Corresponding author.
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13
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Burks DM, McCoy MR, Dutta S, Mark-Kappeler CJ, Hoyer PB, Pepling ME. Molecular analysis of the effects of steroid hormones on mouse meiotic prophase I progression. Reprod Biol Endocrinol 2019; 17:105. [PMID: 31791345 PMCID: PMC6886186 DOI: 10.1186/s12958-019-0548-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infertility is linked to depletion of the primordial follicle pool consisting of individual oocytes arrested at the diplotene stage of meiotic prophase I surrounded by granulosa cells. Primordial germ cells, the oocyte precursors, begin to differentiate during embryonic development. These cells migrate to the genital ridge and begin mitotic divisions, remaining connected, through incomplete cytokinesis, in clusters of synchronously dividing oogonia known as germ cell cysts. Subsequently, they enter meiosis, become oocytes and progress through prophase I to the diplotene stage. The cysts break apart, allowing individual oocytes to be surrounded by a layer of granulosa cells, forming primordial follicles each containing a diplotene arrested oocyte. A large number of oocytes are lost coincident with cyst breakdown, and may be important for quality control of primordial follicle formation. Exposure of developing ovaries to exogenous hormones can disrupt cyst breakdown and follicle formation, but it is unclear if hormones affect progression of oocytes through prophase I of meiosis. METHODS Fetal ovaries were treated in organ culture with estradiol, progesterone, or both hormones, labeled for MSY2 or Synaptonemal complex protein 3 (SYCP3) using whole mount immunocytochemistry and examined by confocal microscopy. Meiotic prophase I progression was also followed using the meiotic surface spread technique. RESULTS MSY2 expression in oocytes was reduced by progesterone but not estradiol or the hormone combination. However, while MSY2 expression was upregulated during development it was not a precise marker for the diplotene stage. We also followed meiotic prophase I progression using antibodies against SYCP3 using two different methods, and found that the percent of oocytes at the pachytene stage peaked at postnatal day 1. Finally, estradiol and progesterone treatment together but not either alone in organ culture increased the percent of oocytes at the pachytene stage. CONCLUSIONS We set out to examine the effects of hormones on prophase I progression and found that while MSY2 expression was reduced by progesterone, MSY2 was not a precise diplotene stage marker. Using antibodies against SYCP3 to identify pachytene stage oocytes we found that progesterone and estradiol together delayed progression of oocytes through prophase I.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deion M Burks
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Margaret R McCoy
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Sudipta Dutta
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
- Present address: University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Connie J Mark-Kappeler
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Present address: PRA Health Sciences Lenexa, Lenexa, KS, USA
| | - Patricia B Hoyer
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Melissa E Pepling
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA.
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14
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Hale BJ, Fernandez RF, Kim SQ, Diaz VD, Jackson SN, Liu L, Brenna JT, Hermann BP, Geyer CB, Ellis JM. Acyl-CoA synthetase 6 enriches seminiferous tubules with the ω-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid and is required for male fertility in the mouse. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:14394-14405. [PMID: 31399511 PMCID: PMC6768642 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.009972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an ω-3 dietary-derived polyunsaturated fatty acid of marine origin enriched in testes and necessary for normal fertility, yet the mechanisms regulating the enrichment of DHA in the testes remain unclear. Long-chain ACSL6 (acyl-CoA synthetase isoform 6) activates fatty acids for cellular anabolic and catabolic metabolism by ligating a CoA to a fatty acid, is highly expressed in testes, and has high preference for DHA. Here, we investigated the role of ACSL6 for DHA enrichment in the testes and its requirement for male fertility. Acsl6-/- males were severely subfertile with smaller testes, reduced cauda epididymal sperm counts, germ cell loss, and disorganization of the seminiferous epithelium. Total fatty acid profiling of Acsl6-/- testes revealed reduced DHA and increased ω-6 arachidonic acid, a fatty acid profile also reflected in phospholipid composition. Strikingly, lipid imaging demonstrated spatial redistribution of phospholipids in Acsl6-/- testes. Arachidonic acid-containing phospholipids were predominantly interstitial in control testes but diffusely localized across Acsl6-/- testes. In control testes, DHA-containing phospholipids were predominantly within seminiferous tubules, which contain Sertoli cells and spermatogenic cells but relocalized to the interstitium in Acsl6-/- testes. Taken together, these data demonstrate that ACSL6 is an initial driving force for germ cell DHA enrichment and is required for normal spermatogenesis and male fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin J Hale
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27834
| | - Regina F Fernandez
- Department of Physiology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27834
| | - Sora Q Kim
- Department of Nutrition Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907
| | - Victoria D Diaz
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Shelley N Jackson
- National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Structural Biology Core, Baltimore, Maryland 21224
| | - Lei Liu
- Departments of Pediatrics, Chemistry, and Nutrition, Dell Pediatric Research Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78723
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha 410128, China
| | - J Thomas Brenna
- Departments of Pediatrics, Chemistry, and Nutrition, Dell Pediatric Research Institute, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78723
| | - Brian P Hermann
- Department of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78249
| | - Christopher B Geyer
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27834
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27834
| | - Jessica M Ellis
- Department of Physiology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27834
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27834
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15
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He Y, Lin Y, Zhu Y, Ping P, Wang G, Sun F. Murine PAIP1 stimulates translation of spermiogenic mRNAs stored by YBX2 via its interaction with YBX2†. Biol Reprod 2018; 100:561-572. [PMID: 30295753 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioy213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Revised: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yue He
- International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 200030 Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Lin
- International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 200030 Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Zhu
- International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 200030 Shanghai, China
| | - Ping Ping
- International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 200030 Shanghai, China
| | - Guishuan Wang
- Institute of Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Nantong University, 226021 Nantong, Jiangsu, China
| | - Fei Sun
- International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, 200030 Shanghai, China
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16
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Sun J, Yan L, Shen W, Meng A. Maternal Ybx1 safeguards zebrafish oocyte maturation and maternal-to-zygotic transition by repressing global translation. Development 2018; 145:dev.166587. [PMID: 30135188 DOI: 10.1242/dev.166587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Maternal mRNAs and proteins dictate early embryonic development before zygotic genome activation. In the absence of transcription, elaborate control of maternal mRNA translation is of particular importance for oocyte maturation and early embryogenesis. By analyzing zebrafish ybx1 mutants with a null allele, we demonstrate an essential role of maternal ybx1 in repressing global translation in oocytes and embryos. Loss of maternal Ybx1 leads to impaired oocyte maturation and egg activation. Maternal ybx1 (Mybx1) mutant embryos fail to undergo normal cleavage and the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT). Morpholino knockdown of ybx1 also results in MZT loss and epiboly failure, suggesting the postfertilization requirement of Ybx1. In addition, elevated global translation level and the unfolded protein response were found in Ybx1-depleted embryos. Supplementing translational repression by eIF4E inhibition markedly rescues the Mybx1 phenotype. Mechanistically, Ybx1 in embryos may associate with processing body components and repress translation when tethered to target mRNAs. Collectively, our results identify maternal Ybx1 as a global translational repressor required for oocyte maturation and early embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Sun
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Lu Yan
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Weimin Shen
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Anming Meng
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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17
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RNA processing in the male germline: Mechanisms and implications for fertility. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2018; 79:80-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2017.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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18
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Biswas B, Batista F, Sundaram S, Stanley P. MGAT1 and Complex N-Glycans Regulate ERK Signaling During Spermatogenesis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2022. [PMID: 29386567 PMCID: PMC5792458 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20465-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms that regulate spermatogenesis in mice are important to define as they often apply to fertility in man. We previously showed that conditional deletion of the mouse Mgat1 gene (Mgat1 cKO) in spermatogonia causes a germ-cell autonomous defect leading to infertility. MGAT1 is the N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GlcNAcT-I) that initiates the synthesis of complex N-glycans. Mechanistic bases of MGAT1 loss were investigated in germ cells from 22- and 23-day males, before any changes in germ cell morphology were apparent. Gene expression changes induced by deletion of Mgat1 were determined using the Affymetrix gene chip Mouse Mogene 2.0 ST array, and relationships were investigated by bioinformatics including Gene Ontology (GO), Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA), and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). The loss of complex N-glycans promoted the premature up-regulation of genes normally expressed later in spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis, and IPA and GSEA implicated ERK signaling. EGFR and PDGFRA transcripts and ERK1/2 signaling were reduced in 22-day Mgat1 cKO germ cells. Basigin, a germ cell target of MGAT1, activated ERK1/2 in CHO cells, but not in a Lec1 CHO mutant that lacks MGAT1 and complex N-glycans. Thus, MGAT1 is required to regulate ERK1/2 signaling during spermatogenesis, potentially via different mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barnali Biswas
- 0000000121791997grid.251993.5Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461 USA
| | - Frank Batista
- 0000000121791997grid.251993.5Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461 USA ,0000 0001 1088 8582grid.7122.6Present Address: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Subha Sundaram
- 0000000121791997grid.251993.5Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461 USA
| | - Pamela Stanley
- Department of Cell Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, 10461, USA.
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19
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Bailey AS, Batista PJ, Gold RS, Chen YG, de Rooij DG, Chang HY, Fuller MT. The conserved RNA helicase YTHDC2 regulates the transition from proliferation to differentiation in the germline. eLife 2017; 6:e26116. [PMID: 29087293 PMCID: PMC5703642 DOI: 10.7554/elife.26116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 153] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 10/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The switch from mitosis to meiosis is the key event marking onset of differentiation in the germline stem cell lineage. In Drosophila, the translational repressor Bgcn is required for spermatogonia to stop mitosis and transition to meiotic prophase and the spermatocyte state. Here we show that the mammalian Bgcn homolog YTHDC2 facilitates a clean switch from mitosis to meiosis in mouse germ cells, revealing a conserved role for YTHDC2 in this critical cell fate transition. YTHDC2-deficient male germ cells enter meiosis but have a mixed identity, maintaining expression of Cyclin A2 and failing to properly express many meiotic markers. Instead of continuing through meiotic prophase, the cells attempt an abnormal mitotic-like division and die. YTHDC2 binds multiple transcripts including Ccna2 and other mitotic transcripts, binds specific piRNA precursors, and interacts with RNA granule components, suggesting that proper progression of germ cells through meiosis is licensed by YTHDC2 through post-transcriptional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis S Bailey
- Department of Developmental BiologyStanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Pedro J Batista
- Center for Personal Dynamic RegulomesStanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Rebecca S Gold
- Department of Developmental BiologyStanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Y Grace Chen
- Center for Personal Dynamic RegulomesStanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Dirk G de Rooij
- Center for Reproductive MedicineAcademic Medical Center, University of AmsterdamAmsterdamNetherlands
| | - Howard Y Chang
- Center for Personal Dynamic RegulomesStanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
| | - Margaret T Fuller
- Department of Developmental BiologyStanford University School of MedicineStanfordUnited States
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20
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Sutherland JM, Sobinoff AP, Fraser BA, Redgrove KA, Siddall NA, Koopman P, Hime GR, McLaughlin EA. RNA binding protein Musashi‐2 regulates PIWIL1 and TBX1 in mouse spermatogenesis. J Cell Physiol 2017; 233:3262-3273. [DOI: 10.1002/jcp.26168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessie M. Sutherland
- School of Biomedical Science & PharmacyUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanAustralia
- Priority Research Centre in Reproductive ScienceUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanAustralia
| | - Alexander P. Sobinoff
- Priority Research Centre in Reproductive ScienceUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanAustralia
- Telomere Length Regulation GroupChildren's Medical Research Institute, University of SydneyWestmeadAustralia
| | - Barbara A. Fraser
- Priority Research Centre in Reproductive ScienceUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanAustralia
| | - Kate A. Redgrove
- Priority Research Centre in Reproductive ScienceUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanAustralia
| | | | - Peter Koopman
- Institute for Molecular BioscienceUniversity of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Gary R. Hime
- Anatomy and NeuroscienceUniversity of MelbourneParkvilleAustralia
| | - Eileen A. McLaughlin
- Priority Research Centre in Reproductive ScienceUniversity of NewcastleCallaghanAustralia
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
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21
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Construction and analysis of a human testis/sperm-enriched interaction network: Unraveling the PPP1CC2 interactome. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2017; 1861:375-385. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.11.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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22
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Yan C, Lang Q, Huijuan L, Jiang X, Ming Y, Huaqin S, Wenming X. CFTR Deletion in Mouse Testis Induces VDAC1 Mediated Inflammatory Pathway Critical for Spermatogenesis. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0158994. [PMID: 27483469 PMCID: PMC4970767 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0158994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cystic fibrosis is the most common genetic disease among Caucasians and affects tissues including lung, pancreas and reproductive tracts. It has been shown that Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress and heat shock response are two major deregulated functional modules related to CFTR dysfunction. To identify the impact of CFTR deletion during spermatogenesis, we examined the expression of spermiogenesis-related genes in the testis of CFTR mutant mice (CF mice). We confirmed expression changes of MSY2, a germ cell specific RNA binding protein, resulting from deletion of CFTR in testis. Furthermore, real time PCR and Western blot results showed that an inflammatory response was activated in CF mice testis, as reflected by the altered expression of cytokines. We demonstrate for the first time that expression of MSY2 is decreased in CF mice. Our results suggest that CFTR deletion in testis influences inflammatory responses and these features are likely to be due to the unique environment of the seminiferous tubule during the spermatogenesis process. The current study also suggests avenues to understand the pathophysiology of CFTR during spermatogenesis and provides targets for the possible treatment of CFTR-related infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Yan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related disease of Women and Children, Ministry of Education (Sichuan University), West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- SCU-CUHK Joint Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Qin Lang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Liao Huijuan
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related disease of Women and Children, Ministry of Education (Sichuan University), West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- SCU-CUHK Joint Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Xie Jiang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu, Chongqing Medical University, Chengdu 610031, Sichuan, China
| | - Yang Ming
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related disease of Women and Children, Ministry of Education (Sichuan University), West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- SCU-CUHK Joint Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Sun Huaqin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related disease of Women and Children, Ministry of Education (Sichuan University), West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- SCU-CUHK Joint Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
| | - Xu Wenming
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related disease of Women and Children, Ministry of Education (Sichuan University), West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- SCU-CUHK Joint Laboratory for Reproductive Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
- * E-mail:
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Sutherland JM, Siddall NA, Hime GR, McLaughlin EA. RNA binding proteins in spermatogenesis: an in depth focus on the Musashi family. Asian J Androl 2016; 17:529-36. [PMID: 25851660 PMCID: PMC4492041 DOI: 10.4103/1008-682x.151397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Controlled gene regulation during gamete development is vital for maintaining reproductive potential. During the complex process of mammalian spermatogenesis, male germ cells experience extended periods of the inactive transcription despite heavy translational requirements for continued growth and differentiation. Hence, spermatogenesis is highly reliant on mechanisms of posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression, facilitated by RNA binding proteins (RBPs), which remain abundantly expressed throughout this process. One such group of proteins is the Musashi family, previously identified as critical regulators of testis germ cell development and meiosis in Drosophila, and also shown to be vital to sperm development and reproductive potential in the mouse. This review describes the role and function of RBPs within the scope of male germ cell development, focusing on our recent knowledge of the Musashi proteins in spermatogenesis. The functional mechanisms utilized by RBPs within the cell are outlined in depth, and the significance of sub-cellular localization and stage-specific expression in relation to the mode and impact of posttranscriptional regulation is also highlighted. We emphasize the historical role of the Musashi family of RBPs in stem cell function and cell fate determination, as originally characterized in Drosophila and Xenopus, and conclude with our current understanding of the differential roles and functions of the mammalian Musashi proteins, Musashi-1 and Musashi-2, with a primary focus on our findings in spermatogenesis. This review highlights both the essential contribution of RBPs to posttranscriptional regulation and the importance of the Musashi family as master regulators of male gamete development.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Eileen A McLaughlin
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia
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Kleene KC. Position-dependent interactions of Y-box protein 2 (YBX2) with mRNA enable mRNA storage in round spermatids by repressing mRNA translation and blocking translation-dependent mRNA decay. Mol Reprod Dev 2016; 83:190-207. [PMID: 26773323 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 01/08/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Many mRNAs encoding proteins needed for the construction of the specialized organelles of spermatozoa are stored as translationally repressed, free messenger ribonucleoproteins in round spermatids, to be actively translated in elongating and elongated spermatids. The factors that repress translation in round spermatids, however, have been elusive. Two lines of evidence implicate the highly abundant and well-known translational repressor, Y-box protein 2 (YBX2), as a critical factor: First, protamine 1 (Prm1) and sperm-mitochondria cysteine-rich protein (Smcp) mRNAs are prematurely recruited onto polysomes in Ybx2-knockout mouse round spermatids. Second, mutations in 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) cis-elements that abrogate YBX2 binding activate translation of Prm1 and Smcp mRNAs in round spermatids of transgenic mice. The abundance of YBX2 and its affinity for variable sequences, however, raise questions of how YBX2 targets specific mRNAs for repression. Mutations to the Prm1 and Smcp mRNAs in transgenic mice reveal that strong repression in round spermatids requires YBX2 binding sites located near the 3' ends of their 3'UTRs as locating the same sites in upstream positions produce negligible repression. This location-dependence implies that the assembly of repressive complexes is nucleated by adjacent cis-elements that enable cooperative interactions of YBX2 with co-factors. The available data suggest that, in vertebrates, YBX2 has the important role of coordinating the storage of translationally repressed mRNAs in round spermatids by inhibiting translational activity and the degradation of transcripts via translation-dependent deadenylation. These insights should facilitiate future experiments designed to unravel how YBX2 targets mRNAs for repression in round spermatids and how mutations in the YBX2 gene cause infertility in humans. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 190-207, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth C Kleene
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
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25
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Licatalosi DD. Roles of RNA-binding Proteins and Post-transcriptional Regulation in Driving Male Germ Cell Development in the Mouse. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2016; 907:123-51. [PMID: 27256385 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-29073-7_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Tissue development and homeostasis are dependent on highly regulated gene expression programs in which cell-specific combinations of regulatory factors determine which genes are expressed and the post-transcriptional fate of the resulting RNA transcripts. Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression by RNA-binding proteins has critical roles in tissue development-allowing individual genes to generate multiple RNA and protein products, and the timing, location, and abundance of protein synthesis to be finely controlled. Extensive post-transcriptional regulation occurs during mammalian gametogenesis, including high levels of alternative mRNA expression, stage-specific expression of mRNA variants, broad translational repression, and stage-specific activation of mRNA translation. In this chapter, an overview of the roles of RNA-binding proteins and the importance of post-transcriptional regulation in male germ cell development in the mouse is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donny D Licatalosi
- Center for RNA Molecular Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
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26
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Snyder E, Soundararajan R, Sharma M, Dearth A, Smith B, Braun RE. Compound Heterozygosity for Y Box Proteins Causes Sterility Due to Loss of Translational Repression. PLoS Genet 2015; 11:e1005690. [PMID: 26646932 PMCID: PMC4672889 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Y-box proteins YBX2 and YBX3 bind RNA and DNA and are required for metazoan development and fertility. However, possible functional redundancy between YBX2 and YBX3 has prevented elucidation of their molecular function as RNA masking proteins and identification of their target RNAs. To investigate possible functional redundancy between YBX2 and YBX3, we attempted to construct Ybx2-/-;Ybx3-/- double mutants using a previously reported Ybx2-/- model and a newly generated global Ybx3-/- model. Loss of YBX3 resulted in reduced male fertility and defects in spermatid differentiation. However, homozygous double mutants could not be generated as haploinsufficiency of both Ybx2 and Ybx3 caused sterility characterized by extensive defects in spermatid differentiation. RNA sequence analysis of mRNP and polysome occupancy in single and compound Ybx2/3 heterozygotes revealed loss of translational repression almost exclusively in the compound Ybx2/3 heterozygotes. RNAseq analysis also demonstrated that Y-box protein dose-dependent loss of translational regulation was inversely correlated with the presence of a Y box recognition target sequence, suggesting that Y box proteins bind RNA hierarchically to modulate translation in a range of targets. The Y-box proteins are evolutionary conserved across eukaryotes. This study focused on two Y-box proteins, YBX2 and YBX3, expressed in testis and known be important for male fertility. Previous studies in male germ cells link YBX2 and YBX3 proteins to RNA masking, however, whether they function in translational repression or mRNA stability during spermatogenesis has not been resolved. Ybx2-null mice are known to be infertile due to post-meiotic spermatid defects. To assess the functional role of YBX3 during spermatogenesis, we generated Ybx3-null mice. These mice displayed reduced fertility and spermatid differentiation defects. To test if YBX2 and YBX3 are functionally redundant, we attempted to generate double knockout mice. Double mutants could not be generated due to unexpected infertility in the compound Ybx2/3 heterozygotes. Compound heterozygotes displayed multiple sperm defects indicative of failed post-meiotic germ cell differentiation. Analysis of translational repression in compound Ybx2/3 heterozygous testes demonstrated a loss of translation repression in mRNAs lacking the Y box recognition sequence. These findings suggest YBX2 and YBX3 function to repress translation through both sequence-specific and non-specific mechanisms in a hierarchical manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Snyder
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, United States of America
| | | | - Manju Sharma
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, United States of America
| | - Andrea Dearth
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, United States of America
| | - Benjamin Smith
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, United States of America
| | - Robert E. Braun
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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27
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Cullinane DL, Chowdhury TA, Kleene KC. Mechanisms of translational repression of the Smcp mRNA in round spermatids. Reproduction 2014; 149:43-54. [PMID: 25336347 DOI: 10.1530/rep-14-0394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The protamine 1 (Prm1) and sperm mitochondria-associated, cysteine-rich protein (Smcp) mRNAs exemplify a widespread pattern of mRNA-specific regulation of mRNA translation in post-meiotic spermatogenic cells, spermatids. Both mRNAs are transcribed and initially stored in free-mRNPs in early spermatids, and translated on polysomes in late spermatids. In this study, we demonstrate that the 5' and 3'-UTRs and the 3' terminus of the Smcp 3'-UTR are required for normal repression of the Smcp mRNA in transgenic mice. RNA affinity chromatography and mass spectrometry sequencing identified Y-box protein 2 (YBX2/MSY2) as the major protein that interacts with the 3' terminus of the Smcp 3'-UTR and a Y-box recognition sequence, GCCACCU, in the translation control element that is necessary for Prm1 mRNA repression. Depletion of YBX2 in Ybx2-null mice prematurely activates Prm1 and Smcp mRNA translation in early spermatids. Fluorescent in situ hybridization reveals that the Smcp intron, the Smcp mRNA, and both Smcp-Gfp transgenic mRNAs are strongly concentrated in the chromatoid body, and that theYbx2-null mutation does not eliminate the Smcp mRNA from the chromatoid body. This and previous findings suggest that the Smcp pre-mRNA is spliced and associates with YBX2 in the chromatoid body, and that repressed free-mRNPs are stored in the general cytoplasm. As YBX2 is the predominant protein in testis free-mRNPs, it likely represses many mRNAs in early spermatids. The mechanisms by which YBX2 represses the Smcp and Prm1 mRNAs are relevant to reproductive medicine because mutations in the human YBX2 gene correlate with abnormal protamine expression and male infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle L Cullinane
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125-3393, USA
| | - Tamjid A Chowdhury
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125-3393, USA
| | - Kenneth C Kleene
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, Massachusetts 02125-3393, USA
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28
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Sutherland JM, Fraser BA, Sobinoff AP, Pye VJ, Davidson TL, Siddall NA, Koopman P, Hime GR, McLaughlin EA. Developmental Expression of Musashi-1 and Musashi-2 RNA-Binding Proteins During Spermatogenesis: Analysis of the Deleterious Effects of Dysregulated Expression1. Biol Reprod 2014; 90:92. [DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.113.115261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
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29
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Kleene KC. Connecting cis-elements and trans-factors with mechanisms of developmental regulation of mRNA translation in meiotic and haploid mammalian spermatogenic cells. Reproduction 2013; 146:R1-19. [DOI: 10.1530/rep-12-0362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
mRNA-specific regulation of translational activity plays major roles in directing the development of meiotic and haploid spermatogenic cells in mammals. Although many RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have been implicated in normal translational control and sperm development, little is known about the keystone of the mechanisms: the interactions of RBPs and microRNAs withcis-elements in mRNA targets. The problems in connecting factors and elements with translational control originate in the enormous complexity of post-transcriptional regulation in mammalian cells. This creates confusion as to whether factors have direct or indirect and large or small effects on the translation of specific mRNAs. This review argues that gene knockouts, heterologous systems, and overexpression of factors cannot provide convincing answers to these questions. As a result, the mechanisms involving well-studied mRNAs (Ddx4/Mvh,Prm1,Prm2, andSycp3) and factors (DICER1, CPEB1, DAZL, DDX4/MVH, DDX25/GRTH, translin, and ELAV1/HuR) are incompletely understood. By comparison, mutations in elements can be used to define the importance of specific pathways in regulating individual mRNAs. However, few elements have been studied, because the only reliable system to analyze mutations in elements, transgenic mice, is considered impractical. This review describes advances that may facilitate identification of the direct targets of RBPs and analysis of mutations incis-elements. The importance of upstream reading frames in the developmental regulation of mRNA translation in spermatogenic cells is also documented.
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Delbes G, Yanagiya A, Sonenberg N, Robaire B. PABP interacting protein 2A (PAIP2A) regulates specific key proteins during spermiogenesis in the mouse. Biol Reprod 2012; 86:95. [PMID: 22190698 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.111.092619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
During spermiogenesis, expression of the specific proteins needed for proper differentiation of male germ cells is under translational control. We have shown that PAIP2A is a major translational regulator involved in the maturation of male germ cells and male fertility. To identify the proteins controlled by PAIP2A during spermiogenesis, we characterized the proteomic profiles of elongated spermatids from wild-type (WT) mice and mice that were Paip2a/Paip2b double-null mutants (DKO). Elongated spermatid populations were obtained and proteins were extracted and separated on gradient polyacrylamide gels. The gels were digested with trypsin and peptides were identified by mass spectrometry. We identified 632 proteins with at least two unique peptides and a confidence level of 95%. Only 209 proteins were consistently detected in WT or DKO replicates with more than five spectra. Twenty-nine proteins were differentially expressed with at least a 1.5-fold change; 10 and 19 proteins were down- and up-regulated, respectively, in DKO compared to WT mice. We confirmed the significantly different expression levels of three proteins, EIF4G1, AKAP4, and HK1, by Western blot analysis. We have characterized novel proteins that have their expression controlled by PAIP2A; of these, 50% are involved in flagellar structure and sperm motility. Although several proteins affected by abrogation of Paip2a have established roles in reproduction, the roles of many others remain to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldine Delbes
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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31
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Sironen A, Uimari P, Venhoranta H, Andersson M, Vilkki J. An exonic insertion within Tex14 gene causes spermatogenic arrest in pigs. BMC Genomics 2011; 12:591. [PMID: 22136159 PMCID: PMC3248578 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2011] [Accepted: 12/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Male infertility is an increasing problem in all domestic species including man. Localization and identification of genes involved in defects causing male infertility provide valuable information of specific events in sperm development. Sperm development is a complex process, where diploid spermatogonia develop into haploid, highly specialized spermatozoa. Correct expression and function of various genes and their protein products are required for production of fertile sperm. We have identified an infertility defect in Finnish Yorkshire boars caused by spermatogenic arrest. The aim of this study was to locate the disease associated region using genome wide screen with the PorcineSNP60 Beadchip and identify the causal mutation by candidate gene approach. RESULTS In the Finnish Yorkshire pig population the spermatogenic arrest (SA) defect appears to be of genetic origin and causes severe degeneration of germ cells and total absence of spermatozoa. Genome wide scan with the PorcineSNP60 Beadchip localized the SA defect to porcine chromosome 12 in a 2 Mbp region. Sequencing of a candidate gene Tex14 revealed a 51 bp insertion within exon 27, which caused differential splicing of the exon and created a premature translation stop codon. The expression of Tex14 was markedly down regulated in the testis of a SA affected boar compared to control boars and no protein product was identified by Western blotting. The SA insertion sequence was also found within intron 27 in all analyzed animals, thus the insertion appears to be a possible duplication event. CONCLUSION In this study we report the identification of a causal mutation for infertility caused by spermatogenic arrest at an early meiotic phase. Our results highlight the role of TEX14 specifically in spermatogenesis and the importance of specific genomic remodeling events as causes for inherited defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anu Sironen
- Agrifood Research Finland, MTT, Biotechnology and Food Research, Genomics, FI-36100 Jokioinen, Finland.
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32
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Idler RK, Yan W. Control of messenger RNA fate by RNA-binding proteins: an emphasis on mammalian spermatogenesis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 33:309-37. [PMID: 21757510 DOI: 10.2164/jandrol.111.014167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Posttranscriptional status of messenger RNAs (mRNA) can be affected by many factors, most of which are RNA-binding proteins (RBP) that either bind mRNA in a nonspecific manner or through specific motifs, usually located in the 3' untranslated regions. RBPs can also be recruited by small noncoding RNAs (sncRNA), which have been shown to be involved in posttranscriptional regulations and transposon repression (eg, microRNAs or P-element-induced wimpy testis-interacting RNA) as components of the sncRNA effector complex. Non-sncRNA-binding RBPs have much more diverse effects on their target mRNAs. Some can cause degradation of their target transcripts and/or repression of translation, whereas others can stabilize and/or activate translation. The splicing and exportation of transcripts from the nucleus to the cytoplasm are often mediated by sequence-specific RBPs. The mechanisms by which RBPs regulate mRNA transcripts involve manipulating the 3' poly(A) tail, targeting the transcript to polysomes or to other ribonuclear protein particles, recruiting regulatory proteins, or competing with other RBPs. Here, we briefly review the known mechanisms of posttranscriptional regulation mediated by RBPs, with an emphasis on how these mechanisms might control spermatogenesis in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Keegan Idler
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Reno, NV 89557, USA
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33
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Bettegowda A, Wilkinson MF. Transcription and post-transcriptional regulation of spermatogenesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2010; 365:1637-51. [PMID: 20403875 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2009.0196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Spermatogenesis in mammals is achieved by multiple players that pursue a common goal of generating mature spermatozoa. The developmental processes acting on male germ cells that culminate in the production of the functional spermatozoa are regulated at both the transcription and post-transcriptional levels. This review addresses recent progress towards understanding such regulatory mechanisms and identifies future challenges to be addressed in this field. We focus on transcription factors, chromatin-associated factors and RNA-binding proteins necessary for spermatogenesis and/or sperm maturation. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern spermatogenesis has enormous implications for new contraceptive approaches and treatments for infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anilkumar Bettegowda
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0864, La Jolla, CA 92093-0864, USA
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34
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Kini HK, Vishnu MR, Liebhaber SA. Too much PABP, too little translation. J Clin Invest 2010; 120:3090-3. [PMID: 20739750 DOI: 10.1172/jci44091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Posttranscriptional regulation is of critical importance during mammalian spermiogenesis. A set of mRNAs that encode proteins critical to normal sperm formation are synthesized early in the process of male germ cell differentiation and are stored in a repressed state. These mRNAs are subsequently translationally activated during the process of spermatid elongation and maturation. Of note, the translationally repressed mRNAs contain long poly(A) tails that are dramatically shortened during the translational activation process. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie this process of mRNA storage and subsequent translational activation has been a long-standing goal. The relationship of the poly(A) tail to translational control is intimately related to the functions of the cognate poly(A)-binding proteins (PABPs). In this issue of the JCI, Yanagiya and colleagues use a set of knockout mice to demonstrate a novel functional role for a particular modulator of PABP function, PABP-interacting protein 2a (PAIP2A), in the normal terminal differentiation of male germ cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemant K Kini
- Department of Genetics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
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35
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Yanagiya A, Delbes G, Svitkin YV, Robaire B, Sonenberg N. The poly(A)-binding protein partner Paip2a controls translation during late spermiogenesis in mice. J Clin Invest 2010; 120:3389-400. [PMID: 20739757 DOI: 10.1172/jci43350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2010] [Accepted: 07/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Translational control plays a key role in late spermiogenesis. A number of mRNAs encoding proteins required for late spermiogenesis are expressed in early spermatids but are stored as translationally inactive messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (mRNPs). The translation of these mRNAs is associated with shortening of their poly(A) tail in late spermiogenesis. Poly(A)-binding protein (Pabp) plays an important role in mRNA stabilization and translation. Three Pabp-interacting proteins, Paip1, Paip2a, and Paip2b, have been described. Paip2a is expressed in late spermatids. To investigate the role of Paip2 in spermiogenesis, we generated mice with knockout of either Paip2a or Paip2b and double-KO (DKO) mice lacking both Paip2a and Paip2b. Paip2a-KO and Paip2a/Paip2b-DKO mice exhibited male infertility. Translation of several mRNAs encoding proteins essential to male germ cell development was inhibited in late spermiogenesis in Paip2a/Paip2b-DKO mice, resulting in defective elongated spermatids. Inhibition of translation in Paip2a/Paip2b-DKO mice was caused by aberrant increased expression of Pabp, which impaired the interaction between eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and the cap structure at the 5' end of the mRNA. We therefore propose a model whereby efficient mRNA translation in late spermiogenesis occurs at an optimal concentration of Pabp, a condition not fulfilled in Paip2a/Paip2b-DKO mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akiko Yanagiya
- Department of Biochemistry and Goodman Cancer Research Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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36
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Gatta V, Raicu F, Ferlin A, Antonucci I, Scioletti AP, Garolla A, Palka G, Foresta C, Stuppia L. Testis transcriptome analysis in male infertility: new insight on the pathogenesis of oligo-azoospermia in cases with and without AZFc microdeletion. BMC Genomics 2010; 11:401. [PMID: 20576090 PMCID: PMC2996929 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-11-401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2009] [Accepted: 06/24/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND About 10% of cases of male infertility are due to the presence of microdeletions within the long arm of the Y chromosome (Yq). Despite the large literature covering this critical issue, very little is known about the pathogenic mechanism leading to spermatogenesis disruption in patients carrying these microdeletions. In order to identify the presence of specific molecular pathways leading to spermatogenic damage, testicular gene expression profiling was carried out by employing a microarray assay in 16 patients carrying an AZFc microdeletion or affected by idiopathic infertility. Hierarchical clustering was performed pooling the data set from 26 experiments (16 patients, 10 replicates). RESULTS An intriguing and unexpected finding is that all the samples showing the AZFc deletion cluster together irrespectively of their testicular phenotypes. This cluster, including also four patients affected by idiopathic infertility, showed a downregulation of several genes related to spermatogenesis that are mainly involved in testicular mRNA storage. Interestingly, the four idiopathic patients present in the cluster showed no testicular expression of DAZ despite the absence of AZFc deletion in the peripheral blood. CONCLUSIONS Our expression profiles analysis indicates that several forms of infertility can be triggered by a common pathogenic mechanism that is likely related to alterations in testicular mRNA storage. Our data suggest that a lack of testicular DAZ gene expression may be the trigger of such mechanism. Furthermore, the presence of AZFc deletions in mosaic or the loss of function of AZFc genes in absence of Yq deletion can perhaps explain these findings. Finally, based on our data, it is intriguing to hypothesize that DAZ gene dysfunctions can account for a larger number of previously thought "idiopathic" infertility cases and investigation of such testicular gene dysfunction can be important to reveal the molecular determinant of infertility than are undetected when only testing Yq deletions in peripheral blood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Gatta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti-Pescara, Italy
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Messina V, Di Sauro A, Pedrotti S, Adesso L, Latina A, Geremia R, Rossi P, Sette C. Differential contribution of the MTOR and MNK pathways to the regulation of mRNA translation in meiotic and postmeiotic mouse male germ cells. Biol Reprod 2010; 83:607-15. [PMID: 20574055 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.110.085050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Translation of stored mRNAs accounts for protein synthesis during the transcriptionally inactive stages of spermatogenesis. A key step in mRNA translation is the assembly of the initiation complex EIF4F, which is regulated by the MTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) and MNK1/2 (MAP kinase-interacting kinase 1 and 2) pathways. We investigated the expression and activity of regulatory proteins of these pathways in male germ cells at different stages of differentiation. All translation factors analyzed were expressed in germ cells throughout spermatogenesis. However, while EIF4G and PABP1 (poly[A]-binding protein 1) were more abundant in postmeiotic cells, MTOR and its target EIF4EBP1 (4E-BP1) decreased steadily during spermatogenesis. In vivo labeling showed that pachytene spermatocytes display higher rates of protein synthesis, which are partially dependent on MTOR and MNK activity. By contrast, haploid spermatids are characterized by lower levels of protein synthesis, which are independent of the activity of these pathways. Accordingly, MTOR and MNK activity enhanced formation of the EIF4F complex in pachytene spermatocytes but not in round spermatids. Moreover, external cues differentially modulated the activity of these pathways in meiotic and haploid cells. Heat shock decreased MTOR and MNK activity in pachytene spermatocytes, whereas round spermatids were much less sensitive. On the other hand, treatment with the phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid activated MTOR and MNK in both cell types. These results indicate that translational regulation is differentially dependent on the MTOR and MNK pathways in mouse spermatocytes and spermatids and suggest that the late stages of germ cell differentiation display constitutive assembly of the translation initiation complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Messina
- Section of Anatomy, Department of Public Health and Cell Biology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
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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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Chaikam V, Karlson DT. Comparison of structure, function and regulation of plant cold shock domain proteins to bacterial and animal cold shock domain proteins. BMB Rep 2010; 43:1-8. [DOI: 10.5483/bmbrep.2010.43.1.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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TLRR (lrrc67) interacts with PP1 and is associated with a cytoskeletal complex in the testis. Biol Cell 2010; 102:173-89. [PMID: 19886865 DOI: 10.1042/bc20090091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND INFORMATION Spermatozoa are formed via a complex series of cellular transformations, including acrosome and flagellum formation, nuclear condensation and elongation and removal of residual cytoplasm. Nuclear elongation is accompanied by the formation of a unique cytoskeletal structure, the manchette. We have previously identified a leucine-rich repeat protein that we have named TLRR (testis leucine-rich repeat), associated with the manchette that contains a PP1 (protein phosphatase-1)-binding site. Leucine-rich repeat proteins often mediate protein-protein interactions; therefore, we hypothesize that TLRR acts as a scaffold to link signalling molecules, including PP1, to the manchette near potential substrate proteins important for spermatogenesis. RESULTS TLRR and PP1 interact with one another as demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation and the yeast two-hybrid assay. TLRR binds more strongly to PP1 gamma 2 than it does to PP1 alpha. Anti-phosphoserine antibodies immunoprecipitate TLRR from testis lysate, indicating that TLRR is a phosphoprotein. TLRR is part of a complex in testis that includes cytoskeletal proteins and constituents of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. The TLRR complex purified from 3T3 cells contains similar proteins, co-localizes with microtubules and is enriched at the microtubule-organizing centre. TLRR is also detected near the centrosome of elongated, but not mid-stage, spermatids. CONCLUSION We demonstrate here that TLRR interacts with PP1, particularly the testis-specific isoform, PP1 gamma 2. Immunoaffinity purification confirms that TLRR is associated with the spermatid cytoskeleton. In addition, proteins involved in protein stability are part of the TLRR complex. These results support our hypothesis that TLRR links signalling molecules to the spermatid cytoskeleton in order to regulate important substrates involved in spermatid transformation. The translocation of TLRR from the manchette to the centrosome region suggests a possible role for this protein in tail formation. Our finding that TLRR is associated with microtubules in cultured cells suggests that TLRR may play a common role in modulating the cytoskeleton in other cell types besides male germ cells.
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Xu M, Medvedev S, Yang J, Hecht NB. MIWI-independent small RNAs (MSY-RNAs) bind to the RNA-binding protein, MSY2, in male germ cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:12371-6. [PMID: 19597149 PMCID: PMC2718373 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0903944106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The germ cell-specific DNA/RNA-binding protein MSY2 binds small RNAs (MSY-RNAs) that are approximately 25-31 nt in length, often initiate with a 5' adenine, and are expressed in both germ cells and somatic cells. MSY-RNA levels do not decrease in Miwi or Msy2 null mice. Most MSY-RNAs map within annotated genes, but some are PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA)-like and map to piRNA clusters. MSY-RNAs are in both nuclei and cytoplasm. In nuclei, MSY-RNAs are enriched in chromatin, and in the cytoplasm they are detected in both ribonucleoproteins and polysomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingang Xu
- Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104; and
| | - Sergey Medvedev
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Juxiang Yang
- Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104; and
| | - Norman B. Hecht
- Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104; and
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Xu M, McCarrey JR, Hecht NB. A cytoplasmic variant of the KH-type splicing regulatory protein serves as a decay-promoting factor for phosphoglycerate kinase 2 mRNA in murine male germ cells. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 36:7157-67. [PMID: 19015122 PMCID: PMC2602782 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkn800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Phosphoglycerate kinase 2 (PGK2) is a germ cell-specific protein whose mRNA is translationally regulated in the mammalian testis. Using RNA affinity chromatography with the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of Pgk2 mRNA and adult testis extracts, several associated proteins including a novel isoform of the AU-rich element RNA-binding protein and KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KSRP) were identified. KSRP, a protein of approximately 75 kDa, is widely expressed in somatic and germ cells where it is primarily nuclear. In addition to the approximately 75-kDa KSRP, a approximately 52-kD KSRP, t-KSRP, is present in the cytoplasm of a subpopulation of germ cells. t-KSRP binds directly to a 93-nt sequence (designated the F1 region) of the 3'-UTR of the Pgk2 mRNA and destabilizes Pgk2 mRNA constructs in testis extracts and in transfected cells. We conclude that this testicular variant of the multifunctional nucleic acid-binding protein, KSRP, serves as a decay-promoting factor for Pgk2 mRNA in male germ cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingang Xu
- Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 6080, USA
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Medvedev S, Yang J, Hecht NB, Schultz RM. CDC2A (CDK1)-mediated phosphorylation of MSY2 triggers maternal mRNA degradation during mouse oocyte maturation. Dev Biol 2008; 321:205-15. [PMID: 18606161 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2008.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2008] [Revised: 05/22/2008] [Accepted: 06/10/2008] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Degradation of maternal mRNA is thought to be essential to undergo the maternal-to-embryonic transition. Messenger RNA is extremely stable during oocyte growth in mouse and MSY2, an abundant germ cell-specific RNA-binding protein, likely serves as a mediator of global mRNA stability. Oocyte maturation, however, triggers an abrupt transition in which most mRNAs are significantly degraded. We report that CDC2A (CDK1)-mediated phosphorylation of MSY2 triggers this transition. Injecting Cdc2a mRNA, which activates CDC2A, overcomes milrinone-mediated inhibition of oocyte maturation, induces MSY2 phosphorylation and the maturation-associated degradation of mRNAs. Inhibiting CDC2A following its activation with roscovitine inhibits MSY2 phosphorylation and prevents mRNA degradation. Expressing non-phosphorylatable dominant-negative forms of MSY2 inhibits the maturation-associated decrease in mRNAs, whereas expressing constitutively active forms induces mRNA degradation in the absence of maturation and phosphorylation of endogenous MSY2. A positive-feedback loop of CDK1-mediated phosphorylation of MSY2 that leads to degradation of Msy2 mRNA that in turn leads to a decrease in MSY2 protein may ensure that the transition is irreversible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey Medvedev
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Deng Y, Zhang W, Su D, Yang Y, Ma Y, Zhang H, Zhang S. Some Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of MSY2 Gene Might Contribute to Susceptibility to Spermatogenic Impairment in Idiopathic Infertile Men. Urology 2008; 71:878-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2007.12.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2007] [Revised: 12/12/2007] [Accepted: 12/13/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Hammoud S, Emery BR, Aoki VW, Carrell DT. Identification of genetic variation in the 5' and 3' non-coding regions of the protamine genes in patients with protamine deregulation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 53:267-74. [PMID: 18309899 DOI: 10.1080/01485010701569890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Deregulation of sperm nuclear protamine ratio (P1/P2) has been shown to correlate with male factor infertility in humans, but the cause of this abnormal protein expression has yet to be identified. Recent studies have shown that there is little genetic variability in the coding regions of either of the protamine gene sequences. However, these studies did not investigate the 5' or 3' non-coding regions of these genes for mutations that might account for changes in the transcriptional or translational regulation of the protamines. In an effort to determine if genetic variation in these non-coding regions may account for aberrant protamine expression, we have sequenced the 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of both protamine 1 (P1) and protamine 2 (P2) genes in a population of infertile men with protamine deregulation, men presenting for infertility work-up with normal protamine ratios, and a population of unrelated, fertile men from the Utah Genetic Reference Project (UGRP). This analysis has identified 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), of which 13 were novel SNPs in the UTRs of P1 and P2, and verified the existence of a variable length repeat (VLR), GAn, in the P2 5' region. The SNP frequencies and VLR allelic frequencies did not achieve statistical significance between the populations, however, one of the SNPs identified in the 3' UTR of protamine 2 was found at a low frequency in the abnormal protamine patients, but was completely absent in men with verified normal protamine ratio and donors of known fertility. In conclusion, a number of SNPs have been reported in the protamine genes and the untranslated regions, however, these gene variants do not appear to be responsible for protamine deficiency. Hence, the underlying cause for aberrant protamine expression may possibly be due to abnormalities in candidate spermatogenic transcriptional/translational regulators, post-translational modifiers, or as-of-yet unidentified factors affecting the testicular environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sue Hammoud
- Andrology and IVF Laboratories, Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108, USA
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Xu M, Hecht NB. MSY2 and polypyrimidine tract binding protein 2 stabilize mRNAs in the mammalian testis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 31:457-61. [PMID: 18380784 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2605.2008.00885.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
MSY2 is a highly conserved and abundant DNA/RNA-binding protein that functions as a global stabilizer/translational suppressor of mRNAs in male germ cells. The polypyrimidine tract binding protein, PTBP2, is an RNA-binding protein that splices nuclear transcripts and stabilizes specific mRNAs in the cytoplasm. The mechanisms whereby MSY2 selects and stabilizes a large group of male germ cell mRNAs and PTBP2 stabilizes specific mRNAs such as the phosphoglycerate kinase 2 mRNA in the testis and in transfected cells will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingang Xu
- Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6080, USA
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Sequence alterations in the YBX2 gene are associated with male factor infertility. Fertil Steril 2008; 91:1090-5. [PMID: 18339382 DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2007] [Revised: 01/02/2008] [Accepted: 01/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate YBX2 gene alterations in men with severe defects in spermatogenesis, including azoospermia or severe oligozoospermia, and protamine deregulation. MSY2 has been identified as a central component in the regulation of spermatogenesis in mice, but the potential role of its human orthologue, YBX2 or "Contrin," in human infertility is not known. DESIGN A prospective cohort study. SETTING University infertility clinic and associated research laboratory. PATIENT(S) A total of 288 men were evaluated. Diagnoses were made of complete azoospermia, severe oligozoospermia, and protamine deregulation, or men were of known paternity. INTERVENTION(S) Deoxyribonucleic acid (from peripheral blood) and semen samples were collected and analyzed for gene mutations and semen parameters respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) YBX2 gene alterations. RESULT(S) YBX2 sequence analysis revealed 15 polymorphic sites, of which seven polymorphisms were present at a statistically higher frequency in one or both of the patient populations than in controls. Of these seven, two resulted in an amino acid substitution in the highly conserved cold shock domain and one resulted in a highly significant synonymous change in exon 8 of infertile patients. The frequency of single nucleotide polymorphisms was significantly elevated in patients with infertility, particularly in men with abnormal protamine expression. CONCLUSION(S) These data indicate a significant association between gene alterations in the YBX2 gene and abnormal spermatogenesis in humans, including a potential role in altering protamine expression, and implicate YBX2 gene alterations as a potential cause of male factor infertility.
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Marracci S, Casola C, Bucci S, Mancino G, Ragghianti M. Isolation and expression ofRlYB2, a germ cell‐specificY‐boxgene inRana. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1080/11250000701690616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Ravel C, Chantot-Bastaraud S, El Houate B, Berthaut I, Verstraete L, De Larouziere V, Lourenço D, Dumaine A, Antoine JM, Mandelbaum J, Siffroi JP, McElreavey K. Mutations in the protamine 1 gene associated with male infertility. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 13:461-4. [PMID: 17494104 DOI: 10.1093/molehr/gam031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
In elongating spermatids, human sperm chromatin undergoes a complex compaction in which the transition proteins are extensively replaced by the protamine proteins. Several human studies demonstrate that expression of the protamine proteins is altered in some men with male infertility. For this study, we screened the PRM1 (protamine 1) gene for mutations in a large cohort of 281 men seeking infertility treatment. We identified the c.102G>T transversion that results in an p.Arg34Ser amino acid change in two men. One of these patients presented with oligozoospermia associated with increased sperm DNA fragmentation. The second individual was normospermic but together with his partner sought treatment for idiopathic couple infertility. We also identified a novel missense mutation (c.119G>A, p.Cys40Tyr) in a man with oligoasthenozoospermia. These mutations were not observed in control populations. Interestingly, we also detected variants both 5' and 3' to the PRM1 open-reading frame specifically in infertile individuals. Four individuals with unexplained severe oligozoospermia were heterozygote for a c.-107G>C change that is located at -15 bp from the transcription initiation site of the gene. This mutation may influence PRM1 expression. In addition, a c.*51G>C variant was detected in the 3'UTR of PRM1 specifically in a man with severe oligoasthenozoospermia.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Ravel
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie Paris-6, EA1533, AP-HP, Hôpital Tenon, Paris, France
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