title: Histone crotonylation specifically marks the haploid male germ cell gene expression program: post-meiotic male-specific gene expression.
abstract: The haploid male germ cell differentiation program controls essential steps of male gametogenesis and relies partly on a significant number of sex chromosome-linked genes. These genes need to escape chromosome-wide transcriptional repression of sex chromosomes, which occurs during meiosis and is largely maintained in post-meiotic cells. A newly discovered histone lysine modification, crotonylation (Kcr), marks X/Y-linked genes that are active in post-meiotic male germ cells. Histone Kcr, by conferring resistance to transcriptional repressors, could be a dominant element in maintaining these genes active in the globally repressive environment of haploid cell sex chromosomes. Furthermore, the same mark was found associated with post-meiotically activated genes on autosomes. Histone Kcr therefore appears to be an indicator of the male haploid cell gene expression program and a notable element of genome programming in the post-meiotic phases of spermatogenesis.
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U823, Université Joseph Fourier-Grenoble 1, Institut Albert Bonniot, Faculté de Médecine, Domaine de la Merci, La Tronche Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montellier
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rousseaux
authors.forename: Yingming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Saadi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Khochbin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D042002:Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly; D015870:Gene Expression; D050172:Genes, X-Linked; D050173:Genes, Y-Linked; D006238:Haploidy; D006655:Histone Deacetylases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006657:Histones / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008322:Mammals; D008540:Meiosis; D012730:Sex Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D006655:Histone Deacetylases