title: An atlas of chromatoid body components.
abstract: The genome of male germ cells is actively transcribed during spermatogenesis to produce phase-specific protein-coding mRNAs and a considerable amount of different noncoding RNAs. Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granule-mediated RNA regulation provides a powerful means to secure the quality and correct expression of the requisite transcripts. Haploid spermatids are characterized by a unique, unusually large cytoplasmic granule, the chromatoid body (CB), which emerges during the switch between the meiotic and post-meiotic phases of spermatogenesis. To better understand the role of the CB in male germ cell differentiation, we isolated CBs from mouse testes and revealed its full RNA and protein composition. We showed that the CB is mainly composed of RNA-binding proteins and other proteins involved RNA regulation. The CB was loaded with RNA, including pachytene piRNAs, a diverse set of mRNAs, and a number of uncharacterized long noncoding transcripts. The CB was demonstrated to accumulate nascent RNA during all the steps of round spermatid differentiation. Our results revealed the CB as a large germ cell-specific RNP platform that is involved in the control of the highly complex transcriptome of haploid male germ cells.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Meikar
authors.forename: Vasily V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Vagin
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chalmel
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sõstar
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lardenois
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hammell
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Da Ros
authors.forename: Kaja A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Wasik
authors.forename: Jorma
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Toppari
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Hannon
authors.forename: Noora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kotaja
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013087:Spermatids / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins
keywords: chromatoid body; male germ cells; piRNA; post-transcriptional; ribonucleoprotein granule