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.
Project description:In order to identify YTHDC2 downstream genes, we performed RNA-seq in WT and YTHDC2 knockout H1975 cells and analyzed the changed mRNAs.
Project description:We report the differentially expressed genes caused by inducible deletion of YTHDC2 in pachytene spermatocytes. A large number of differentially epxressed genes were identified.
Project description:N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common internal modification in eukaryotic mRNA. It is dynamically installed and removed, and acts as an essential layer of mRNA metabolism, regulating biological processes including stem cell pluripotency, cell differentiation, and energy homeostasis. m6A is recognized by selective binding proteins; YTHDF1 and YTHDF3 work in concert to promote the translation of m6A-containing mRNAs, YTHDF2 expedites mRNA decay, and YTHDC1 affects the splicing of its targets. The biological function of YTHDC2, the final member of the YTH protein family, remains unknown. We report that YTHDC2 selectively binds m6A along its consensus motif GGACU. YTHDC2 promotes translation of its targets, and associates with cellular fractions involved in translation initiation. Ythdc2 knockout mice are infertile and have significantly smaller testes compared to those of littermates. In the testes, Ythdc2 is temporally expressed as meiosis begins, and germ cells of Ythdc2 knockout mice do not develop past the spermatogonium stage. Thus, YTHDC2 is an m6A binding protein that plays essential roles in spermatogenesis.
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.
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.