Small RNAs are trafficked from the epididymis to developing mammalian sperm
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ABSTRACT:
PROVIDER: PRJNA449691 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
Dataset's files
| Action | DRS | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRR6984070.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR6984080.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR6984090.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR6984100.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz | |||
| SRR6984110.fastq.gz | Fastqsanger.gz |
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Project description:RNAs present in mature mammalian sperm are delivered to the zygote at fertilization, where they have the potential to affect early development. The biogenesis of the small RNA payload of mature sperm is therefore of great interest, as it may be a target of signaling pathways linking paternal conditions to offspring phenotype. Recent studies have suggested the surprising hypothesis that the small RNA payload carried by mature sperm may include RNAs that were not synthesized during testicular spermatogenesis, but that are instead delivered to sperm during the process of post-testicular maturation in the epididymis. To further test this hypothesis, we characterized small RNA dynamics during testicular and post-testicular germ cell maturation in mice, confirming and extending prior observations that testicular germ cell populations carry extremely low levels of tRNA fragments (tRFs), which only become highly abundant only after sperm have entered the epididymis. We examined the sperm RNA repertoire in greater detail, finding that the majority of 5’ tRNA fragments carry a 2’-3’ cyclic phosphate at their 3’ end, pointing to a role for RNaseA or T-family nucleases in tRNA cleavage in the male reproductive tract. The process of small RNA delivery to sperm can be recapitulated in vitro, as caput epididymosomes deliver small RNAs including tRFs and microRNAs to mature testicular spermatozoa. Finally, to definitively identify the tissue of origin for small RNAs in sperm, we carried out tissue-specific metabolic labeling of RNAs in intact mice, finding that mature sperm carry small RNAs that were originally synthesized in the somatic cells of the epididymis. Taken together, our data demonstrates that soma-germline small RNA transfer occurs in male mammals, most likely via vesicular transport from the epididymis to maturing sperm.
2018-07-15 | GSE112990 | GEO
Project description:The biogenesis of the RNA payload of mature sperm is of great interest, because RNAs delivered to the zygote at fertilization can affect early development. Here, we tested the hypothesis that small RNAs are trafficked to mammalian sperm during the process of post-testicular maturation in the epididymis. By characterizing small RNA dynamics during germ cell maturation in mice, we confirm and extend prior observations that sperm undergo a dramatic switch in the RNA payload from piRNAs to tRNA fragments (tRFs) upon exiting the testis and entering the epididymis. Small RNA delivery to sperm could be recapitulated in vitro by incubating testicular spermatozoa with caput epididymosomes. Finally, tissue-specific metabolic labeling of RNAs in intact mice definitively shows that mature sperm carry RNAs that were originally synthesized in the epididymal epithelium. These data demonstrate that soma-germline RNA transfer occurs in male mammals, most likely via vesicular transport from the epididymis to maturing sperm.
| S-EPMC6103849 | biostudies-literature
Project description:While mature sperm is transcriptionally inactive, recent studies show that, following testicular its exit, the mammalian sperm acquires a load of small non-coding RNAs during transit in the epididymis, the last stage of sperm maturation. Importantly, this non-coding RNA load is sensitive to environmental insults.
2023-06-01 | GSE221431 | GEO
Project description:The epididymis is an important component of the male reproductive system and a crucial site for sperm maturation. During the process of sperm maturation through the epididymis, the effective payload of SncRNA significantly changes, which may be related to epigenetic modifications. Unfortunately, the N6 Methyladenosine (m6A) modification profile of the epididymis has not yet been established. In this study, the MeRIP seq combined with RNA seq method was used to analyze the m6A modification levels in the head, body, and tail of yak epididymis. It was found that the level of m6A in the epididymis significantly increased, and differentially methylated RNAs (DMRs) in the proximal end of the epididymis were significantly enriched in Gap junction, ErbB signaling pathway, and mTOR signaling pathway, participating in cell communication and sperm maturation processes. In the distal epididymis, DMRs are enriched in Apoptosis, FoxO signaling pathway, PI3K Akt signaling pathway, and TNF signaling pathway, which are involved in sperm autophagy, oxidative stress, and sperm maturation. In addition, we identified key genes with significant changes in m6A levels but no differences in RNA levels, including YY1 associated factor 2 (YAF2), Fork head box J2 (FOXJ2), and Fork head box O1 (FOXO1), suggesting that these genes are modified by m6A to affect translation processes and participate in sperm maturation. In summary, our study established an m6A map of the epididymis, which is beneficial for further understanding the maturation process of sperm and revealing more information related to male infertility.
2024-06-01 | GSE264337 | GEO
Project description:The small RNA payload of mammalian sperm undergoes dramatic remodeling during development, as several waves of microRNAs and tRNA fragments are shipped to sperm during post-testicular maturation in the epididymis. Here, we take advantage of this developmental process to probe the function of the sperm RNA payload in preimplantation development. We generated zygotes via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using sperm obtained from the proximal (caput) vs. distal (cauda) epididymis, then characterized development of the resulting embryos. Embryos generated using caput sperm significantly overexpress multiple regulatory factors throughout preimplantation development, and subsequently implant inefficiently and fail soon after implantation. Remarkably, microinjection of purified cauda-specific small RNAs into caput-derived embryos not only completely rescued preimplantation molecular defects, but also suppressed the postimplantation embryonic lethality phenotype. These findings reveal an essential role for small RNA remodeling during post-testicular maturation of mammalian sperm, and identify a specific preimplantation gene expression program responsive to sperm-delivered microRNAs.
2018-07-25 | GSE111864 | GEO
Project description:Following their production in the testis, spermatozoa enter the epididymis to gain their motility and fertilizing abilities. This post-testicular maturation coincides with sperm epigenetic profile changes that influence the progeny outcome. While recent studies underscored the dynamics of small non-coding RNAs in the maturing spermatozoa, little is known regarding sperm methylation changes and their impact at the post-fertilization level. To map out the sperm methylome dynamics, we purified spermatozoa by FACS from the testis and the different epididymal segments (i.e. caput, corpus and cauda) of CAG/su9-DsRed2; Acr3-EGFP transgenic mice. Reduced-Representation Bisulfite Sequencing (RRBS-Seq) performed on DNA from these respective sperm populations indicated that high methylation changes were observed between spermatozoa from the caput vs. testis with 5546 entries meeting our threshold values (q value < 0.01, methylation difference above 25 %). Most of these changes were transitory during epididymal sperm maturation according to the low number of entries identified between spermatozoa from cauda vs. testis.
2022-03-10 | GSE191051 | GEO
Project description:Spermatozoa harbor a complex and environment sensitive pool of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNA)1, which influences offspring development and adult phenotypes1-7. Whether spermatozoa in the epididymis are directly susceptible to environmental cues is not fully understood8. We used two distinct paradigms of preconception acute high fat diet to dissect epididymal vs testicular contributions to the sperm sncRNA pool and offspring health. We show that epididymal spermatozoa, but not developing germ cells, are sensitive to the environment and identify mitochondrial tRNAs and their fragments (mt-tsRNA) as sperm-borne factors. In humans, mt-tsRNAs in spermatozoa correlate with BMI and paternal overweight at conception doubles offspring obesity risk and compromises metabolic health. Sperm sncRNA-seq of mice mutant for genes involved in mitochondrial function, and metabolic phenotyping of their wild-type offspring, suggest that alterations of mt-tsRNAs are downstream of mitochondrial dysfunction. Most importantly, single embryo transcriptomics of genetically hybrid two-cell embryos demonstrated sperm-to-oocyte transfer of mt-tRNAs at fertilisation and implied them in the control of early embryo transcription. Our study supports the importance of paternal health at conception for offspring metabolism, shows that mt-tRNAs are diet-induced and sperm-borne and demonstrates, for the first time in a physiological setting, father-to-offspring transfer of sperm mitochondrial RNAs at fertilization.
2024-04-03 | GSE239815 | GEO
Project description:In order to discover novel small RNAs expressed in mature sperm, we isolated mature sperm from mouse cauda epididymis, comparing with data from adult tesis and uterus. The small RNA fraction (18-40nt) was cloned and sequenced from total RNA of mature sperm, testis and uterus of mice. RNAs extracted from mature sperm, adult testis and uterus were used for high throughput sequencing analysis
2013-01-31 | E-GEOD-38702 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The epididymis in male reproductive system plays a crucial role in regulating the development of sperm motility and fertilizing capacity. Small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs), especially microRNAs (miRNAs), can participate in the regulation of various physiological pathways. However, their abundance and whether they are involved in the regulation of gene expression in the human epididymis are unknown. By adopting the Solexa deep sequencing approach, we systematically investigated the sncRNAs in the adult human epididymis. A total of 4,903 unique reads representing 527 known miRNA were discovered. Eighteen novel miRNA genes encoding 23 mature miRNAs were also identified, suggesting a complicated miRNA regulatory network. The expression of some of the novel miRNA was confirmed by qRT-PCR. The presence of Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in the library also adds to the diversity of sncRNA population in the human epididymis. This research lays the foundation for the functional study of sncRNAs in huamn reproductive system.
2015-12-01 | GSE33966 | GEO
Project description:The epididymis exhibits a less restrictive physical blood-tissue barrier than the testis and, while numerous immunosuppressive factors have been identified in the latter, no mechanisms for epididymal immunotolerance have been identified to date. Therefore, data are currently insufficient to explain how the immune system tolerates the extremely large load of novel antigens expressed on sperm, which become present in the male body after puberty, i.e. long after central tolerance was established. This study tested the hypothesis that TGFβ-signaling in dendritic cells (DCs) is required for immunotolerance to sperm located in the epididymis, and that male mice lacking TGFβ-signaling in DCs would develop severe epididymal inflammation. To test this, we employed adult Tgfbr2ΔDC males, which exhibit a significant reduction of Tgfbr2 expression and TGFβ-signaling in DCs, as reported previously. Results show that Tgfbr2ΔDC males exhibit sperm-specific immune response and severe epididymal leukocytosis. This phenotype is consistent with epididymal loss of immunotolerance to sperm, and suggests that TGFβ-signaling in DCs is a factor required for a non-inflammatory steady state in the epididymis, and therefore for male tract homeostasis and function.
2018-08-08 | GSE118262 | GEO