After meiosis, round spermatid develops into mature sperm through metamorphosis. During this stage, most cytoplasm in the germ cell is gradually lost. The histones associated with chromatin are replaced by transition proteins and eventually transformed into protamines. Thus, the spermatid chromatin is stringently packaged and highly concentrated. It was thought that the transcription activity of spermatid is lost and RNAs are absent in spermatid. Nevertheless, many types of transcripts are detected in recent years, including the transcripts needed during chromatin repackaged and some small RNAs, etc. Because histones in the nuclear are not replaced entirely, and there are some active sites on the chromatin, we conjectured that spermatid has some transcription activity, and this activity is regulated by hormone and epigenetic modification. These RNAs may be the residues in the spermatogenesis, or timely expressed during spermiogenesis. A deep study on gene transcription in spermiogenesis will help understand the genetic characteristics and provide the theoretic basis for reproductive control using male gamete. This article reviewed recent advances in spermiogenesis at gene transcription level and proposed the future research directions.
ZHANG Jun-Fang ZHU Hua-Bin ZHANG Liu-Guang HAO Hai-Sheng ZHAO Xue-Ming QIN Tong LU Yong-Qiang WANG Dong
. Advance on research of gene expression during spermiogenesis at transcription level[J]. Hereditas(Beijing), 2013
, 35(5)
: 587
-594
.
DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1005.2013.00587
[1] Lambard S, Galeraud-Denis I, Martin G, Levy R, Chocat A, Carreau S. Analysis and significance of mRNA in human ejaculated sperm from normozoospermic donors: relationship to sperm motility and capacitation. Mol Hum Reprod, 2004, 10(7): 535-541.
[2] Bhargava PM. Incorporation of radioactive amino-acids in the proteins of bull spermatozoa. Nature, 1957, 179(4570): 1120-1131.
[3] Abraham KA, Bhargava PM. Nucleic acid metabolism of mammalian spermatozoa. Biochem J, 1963, 86(2): 298-307.
[4] Chen XL, Zhu HB, Wu CJ, Han WD, Hao HS, Zhao XM, Du WH, Qin T, Liu Y, Wang D. Identification of differentially expressed proteins between bull X and Y spermatozoa. J Proteomics, 2012, 77: 59-67.
[5] 熊承良, 吴明章, 刘继红, 黄宇烽. 人类精子学. 武汉: 湖北科技出版社, 2002.
[6] Steger K. Transcriptional and translational regulation of gene expression in haploid spermatids. Anat Embryol, 1999, 199(6): 471-487.
[7] White-Cooper H. Molecular mechanisms of gene regulation during Drosophila spermatogenesis. Reproduction, 2010, 139(1): 11-21.
[8] Spadafora C. Sperm cells and foreign DNA: a controversial relation. BioEssays, 1998, 20(11): 955-964.
[9] Maione B, Pittoggi C, Achene L, Lorenzini R, Spadafora C. Activation of endogenous nucleases in mature sperm cells upon interaction with exogenous DNA. DNA Cell Biol, 1997, 16(9): 1087-1097.
[10] Zoraqi G, Spadafora C. Integration of foreign DNA sequences into mouse sperm genome. DNA Cell Biol, 1997, 16(3): 291-300.
[11] Vavouri T, Lehner B. Chromatin organization in sperm may be the major functional consequence of base composition variation in the human genome. PLoS Genet, 2011, 7(4): e1002036.
[12] Balhorn R, Brewer L. Protamine-mediated condensation of DNA and the subunit structure of sperm chromatin. Biol Reprod, 1999, 60: 84. ISSN 0006-3363.
[13] Miller D, Tang PZ, Skinner C, Lilford R. Differential RNA fingerprinting as a tool in the analysis of spermatozoal gene expression. Hum Reprod, 1994, 9(5): 864-869.
[14] Ostermeier GC, Goodrich RJ, Moldenhauer JS, Diamond MP, Krawetz SA. A suite of novel human spermatozoal RNAs. J Androl, 2005, 26(1): 70-74.
[15] Miller D, Briggs D, Snowden H, Hamlington J, Rollington S, Liford R, Krawetz SA. A complex population of RNAs exists in human ejaculate spermatozoa: implications for understanding molecular aspects of spermiogenesis. Gene, 1997, 237(2): 385-392.
[16] Mauritzen CM, Roy AB, Stedman E. The ribosenucleic acid content of isolated cell nuclei. Proc R Soc Lond B-Biol Sci, 1952, 140(898): 18-31.
[17] Pessot CA, Brito M, Figueroa J, Concha, II, Yañez A, Burzio LO. Presence of RNA in the sperm nucleus. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 1989, 158(1): 272-288.
[18] Concha II, Urzua U, Yañez A, Schroeder R, Pessot C, Burzio LO. U1 and U2 snRNA are localized in the sperm nucleus. Exp Cell Res, 1993, 204(2): 378-381.
[19] Kumar G, Patel D, Naz RK. c-MYC mRNA is present in human sperm cells. Cell Mol Biol Res, 1993, 39(2): 111-117.
[20] Wykes SM, Visscher DW, Krawetz SA. Haploid transcripts persist in mature human spermatozoa. Mol Hum Reprod, 1997, 3(1): 15-29.
[21] Miller D, Ostermeier GC. Towards a better understanding of RNA carriage by ejaculate spermatozoa. Hum Reprod Update, 2006, 12(6): 757-767.
[22] Chiang MH, Steuerwald N, Lambert H, Main EK, Steinleitner A. Detection of human leukocyte antigen class I messenger ribonucleic acid transcripts in human spermatozoa via reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Fertil Steril, 1994, 61(2): 276-280.
[23] Goodwin LO, Karabinus DS, Pergolizzi RG, Benoff S. L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel α-1C subunit mRNA is present in ejaculated human spermatozoa. Mol Hum Reprod, 2000, 6(2): 127-136.
[24] Goodwin LO, Karabinus DS, Pergolizzi
