This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.Male infertility is a long-standing enigma of significant medical concern. The integrity of sperm chromatin is a clinical indicator of male fertility and in vitro fertilization potential: chromosome aneuploidy and DNA decondensation or damage are correlated with reproductive failure. Identifying conserved proteins important for sperm chromatin structure and packaging can reveal universal causes of infertility. Here we combine proteomics, cytology and functional analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans to identify spermatogenic chromatin-associated proteins that are important for fertility. Our strategy employed multiple steps: purification of chromatin from comparable meiotic cell types, namely those undergoing spermatogenesis or oogenesis; proteomic analysis by multidimensional protein identification technology (MudPIT) of factors that co-purify with chromatin; prioritization of sperm proteins based on abundance; and subtraction of common proteins to eliminate general chromatin and meiotic factors. Our approach reduced 1,099 proteins co-purified with spermatogenic chromatin, currently the most extensive catalogue, to 132 proteins for functional analysis. Reduction of gene function through RNA interference coupled with protein localization studies revealed conserved spermatogenesis-specific proteins vital for DNA compaction, chromosome segregation, and fertility. Unexpected roles in spermatogenesis were also detected for factors involved in other processes. Our strategy to find fertility factors conserved from C. elegans to mammals achieved its goal: of mouse gene knockouts corresponding to nematode proteins, 37% (7/19) cause male sterility. Our list therefore provides significant opportunity to identify causes of male infertility and targets for male contraceptives.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
Type
Biotechnology Resource Grants (P41)
Project #
5P41RR011823-13
Application #
7723665
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-CB-H (40))
Project Start
2008-09-01
Project End
2009-08-31
Budget Start
2008-09-01
Budget End
2009-08-31
Support Year
13
Fiscal Year
2008
Total Cost
$819
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Washington
Department
Biochemistry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
605799469
City
Seattle
State
WA
Country
United States
Zip Code
98195
Xavier, Marina Amaral; Tirloni, Lucas; Pinto, Antônio F M et al. (2018) A proteomic insight into vitellogenesis during tick ovary maturation. Sci Rep 8:4698
Hollmann, Taylor; Kim, Tae Kwon; Tirloni, Lucas et al. (2018) Identification and characterization of proteins in the Amblyomma americanum tick cement cone. Int J Parasitol 48:211-224
Stieg, David C; Willis, Stephen D; Ganesan, Vidyaramanan et al. (2018) A complex molecular switch directs stress-induced cyclin C nuclear release through SCFGrr1-mediated degradation of Med13. Mol Biol Cell 29:363-375
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Wang, Zheng; Wu, Catherine; Aslanian, Aaron et al. (2018) Defective RNA polymerase III is negatively regulated by the SUMO-Ubiquitin-Cdc48 pathway. Elife 7:
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Jin, Meiyan; Fuller, Gregory G; Han, Ting et al. (2017) Glycolytic Enzymes Coalesce in G Bodies under Hypoxic Stress. Cell Rep 20:895-908
Ogami, Koichi; Richard, Patricia; Chen, Yaqiong et al. (2017) An Mtr4/ZFC3H1 complex facilitates turnover of unstable nuclear RNAs to prevent their cytoplasmic transport and global translational repression. Genes Dev 31:1257-1271
Ju Lee, Hyun; Bartsch, Deniz; Xiao, Cally et al. (2017) A post-transcriptional program coordinated by CSDE1 prevents intrinsic neural differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. Nat Commun 8:1456

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