New functions and mechanisms of RNA regulation in spermatogenesis and male infertility
Spermatogenesis is the most complicated and highly orchestrated cell development processes in animals,in which many mysteries remain.Male infertility has become a major global concern for population health.Strikingly,more than half of infertile men are of unknown pathologic causes,representing the major challenge in understanding the disease mechanisms.It is evident that a large number of RNA-binding proteins are specifically or highly expressed in testis,forming RNA regulatory networks through binding to the protein-coding mRNAs or/and regulatory non-coding RNAs.Importantly,many RNA-binding proteins and their associated regulatory non-coding RNAs have been shown to regulate gene expression in male germ cells at epigenetic,transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels,playing an indispensable role in spermatogenesis and essential for male fertility.Moreover,genetic mutations in various RNA regulation-related genes have been demonstrated to play causative roles in infertile patients,suggesting abnormal RNA regulation as a new cause of male infertility.In this Review,we summarize the most recent advances in the field,focusing on the new functions and mechanisms of RNA modifications,alternative splicing,translation,degradation in spermatogenesis and male infertility.We also discuss the potential application of RNA regulation in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of male infertility.
male infertilityspermatogenesisRNA regulationRNA-binding proteins
万方数据
维普
