Ketu mutant mice uncover an essential meiotic function for the ancient RNA helicase YTHDC2
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PROVIDER: PRJNA422282 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:Mechanisms regulating mammalian meiotic progression are poorly understood. Here we identify mouse YTHDC2 as a critical component. A screen yielded a sterile mutant, “ketu”, caused by a Ythdc2 missense mutation. Mutant germ cells enter meiosis but proceed prematurely to aberrant metaphase and apoptosis, and display defects in transitioning from spermatogonial to meiotic gene expression programs. ketu phenocopies mutants lacking MEIOC, a YTHDC2 partner. Consistent with roles in post-transcriptional regulation, YTHDC2 is cytoplasmic, has 3’ to 5’ RNA helicase activity in vitro, and has similarity within its YTH domain to an N6-methyladenosine recognition pocket. Orthologs are present throughout metazoans, but are diverged in nematodes and, more dramatically, Drosophilidae, where Bgcn is descended from a Ythdc2 gene duplication. We also uncover similarity between MEIOC and Bam, a Bgcn partner unique to schizophoran flies. We propose that regulation of gene expression by YTHDC2-MEIOC is an evolutionarily ancient strategy for controlling the germline transition into meiosis.
2017-12-19 | GSE108044 | GEO
Project description:Post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression by RNA-binding proteins helps facilitate fast, clean transitions from one cell state to the next during germ cell differentiation. Previously we showed that the RNA helicase YTHDC2 is required for germ cells to properly switch from mitosis to meiosis (Bailey et al., 2017). While YTHDC2 protein is first expressed as male germ cells enter meiosis, when it is needed to shut down the mitotic program, YTHDC2 expression continues to increase and reaches its highest levels later in meiotic prophase, in pachytene spermatocytes. Here we show that YTHDC2 has an additional essential role regulating meiotic progression in late spermatocytes during mouse germ cell differentiation. Inducing conditional knockout of Ythdc2 during the first wave of spermatogenesis, after the germ cells have already initiated meiotic prophase, allowed Ythdc2-deficient germ cells to successfully reach the pachytene stage and properly express many meiotic markers. However, instead of continuing through meiotic prophase and initiating the meiotic divisions, late pachytene spermatocytes failed to transition to the diplotene stage and quickly died. Loss of function of Ythdc2 in spermatocytes resulted in changes in transcript levels for a number of genes by RNA-sequencing compared to control spermatocytes. Our findings suggest that YTHDC2 facilitates proper progression of germ cells through multiple steps of meiosis, potentially via several mechanisms of post-transcriptional RNA regulation.
2023-03-02 | GSE222283 | GEO
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC5832417 | biostudies-literature
Project description:N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an essential internal RNA modification that is critical for gene expression control in most organisms. Proteins with a YTH domain recognize m6A marks and are mediators of molecular functions like RNA splicing, mRNA decay and translation control. Here we demonstrate that YTH domain-containing 2 (YTHDC2) is an m6A reader that is essential for male and female fertility in mice. In mutant males, mitotic spermatogonia fail to differentiate into meiotic spermatocytes. Analysis identifies transcripts upregulated in the Yhtdc2 mutant testes to be those that are expressed in purified spermatogonia, while high-throughput mapping of the m6A transcriptome in the mouse male germline demonstrates the upregulated transcripts to be those that are enriched in m6A marks. Our biochemical studies indicate that YTHDC2 is an RNAinduced ATPase that fuels its 3ʹ→5ʹ RNA helicase activity. Interestingly, we find an RNA-independent interaction between the 5ʹ→3ʹ exoribonuclease XRN1 and the Ankyrin repeat of YTHDC2 that is wedged in between the two RecA helicase domains. Our studies reveal a role for YTHDC2 in modulating the levels of m6A-modified germline transcripts that is essential for successful meiosis.
2017-10-14 | GSE102346 | GEO
Project description:The functional consequence of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification is mediated by ‘reader’ proteins like those of the YTH family that recruit additional factors to alter splicing, RNA stability or translation. Germline-specific YTH domain-containing 2 (YTHDC2) is essential for mammalian fertility, but its molecular function is poorly understood. Here we use a tagged mouse line to identify U-rich motifs as binding sites of YTHDC2 on 3′ UTRs of testicular RNA targets. Although its YTH domain is an m6A-binder in vitro, the YTH point mutant mouse lacking this ability displays no obvious phenotypes. Its 3′→5′ RNA helicase activity is essential for fertility, with the catalytic-dead mutation being dominant-negative. Single-cell transcriptomics reveal that Ythdc2 mutant mitotic testicular germ cells transition into meiosis but accumulate a transcriptome with mixed mitotic/meiotic identity. We also reveal a conserved role for YTHDC2 in animal fertility.
2022-03-22 | GSE196427 | GEO
Project description:In the germline stem cell lineage, proliferating gonial cells switch from mitotic proliferation to meiotic prophase, marked by the onset of a cell-type-specific transcription program and a specialized cell cycle required to generate haploid gametes. The Drosophila gene benign gonial cell neoplasm (bgcn) encodes an RNA binding translational repressor required in fly testes for spermatogonia to stop dividing and transition to the spermatocyte state and meiosis. Here we show that the mammalian bgcn ortholog, YTHDC2, plays a key role in allowing a clean transition from mitosis to meiosis in both male and female germ cells in mouse, pointing towards a conserved role of post-transcriptional control of RNA translation and/or stability in this critical cell fate transition. Ythdc2-/- male germ cells undergo mitotic divisions but fail to properly execute meiotic prophase, instead attempting a mitotic-like division then undergoing cell death. Many meiotic markers were only weakly expressed in Ythdc2-/- testes compared to wild-type controls. Strikingly, the mitotic cyclin Cyclin A2, which is down-regulated prior to entry into meiotic prophase in wild-type, remained high in Ythdc2-/- germ cells that also expressed the meiotic marker SYCP3, suggesting that the mutant germ cells attempting to enter meiotic prophase have a mixed identity. YTHDC2 binds RNAs involved in both the mitotic cell cycle, including the mRNA Ccna2 that encodes Cyclin A2, as well as specific piRNA precursor RNAs and transcripts required for later stages of germ cell differentiation. YTHDC2-bound RNAs in testes were enriched for the m6A modification, suggesting that YTHDC2 may selectively regulate multiple target RNAs marked with m6A, to promote a clean transition from mitosis to meiosis and terminal differentiation.
2017-11-15 | GSE93566 | GEO
Project description:In the germline stem cell lineage, proliferating gonial cells switch from mitotic proliferation to meiotic prophase, marked by the onset of a cell-type-specific transcription program and a specialized cell cycle required to generate haploid gametes. The Drosophila gene benign gonial cell neoplasm (bgcn) encodes an RNA binding translational repressor required in fly testes for spermatogonia to stop dividing and transition to the spermatocyte state and meiosis. Here we show that the mammalian bgcn ortholog, YTHDC2, plays a key role in allowing a clean transition from mitosis to meiosis in both male and female germ cells in mouse, pointing towards a conserved role of post-transcriptional control of RNA translation and/or stability in this critical cell fate transition. Ythdc2-/- male germ cells undergo mitotic divisions but fail to properly execute meiotic prophase, instead attempting a mitotic-like division then undergoing cell death. Many meiotic markers were only weakly expressed in Ythdc2-/- testes compared to wild-type controls. Strikingly, the mitotic cyclin Cyclin A2, which is down-regulated prior to entry into meiotic prophase in wild-type, remained high in Ythdc2-/- germ cells that also expressed the meiotic marker SYCP3, suggesting that the mutant germ cells attempting to enter meiotic prophase have a mixed identity. YTHDC2 binds RNAs involved in both the mitotic cell cycle, including the mRNA Ccna2 that encodes Cyclin A2, as well as specific piRNA precursor RNAs and transcripts required for later stages of germ cell differentiation. YTHDC2-bound RNAs in testes were enriched for the m6A modification, suggesting that YTHDC2 may selectively regulate multiple target RNAs marked with m6A, to promote a clean transition from mitosis to meiosis and terminal differentiation.
2017-11-15 | GSE93533 | GEO
Project description:Mouse testes samples from P8, P10, adult, and Ythdc2-WLA homozygous mutant mice were subjected to CLIP assays to generate YTHDC2-RNA interaction maps.
2022-01-20 | GSE190979 | GEO
Project description:Regulation of m6A transcripts by the 3ʹ→5ʹ RNA helicase YTHDC2 is essential for a successful meiotic program in the mammalian germline
| PRJNA397481 | ENA