title: A long non-coding RNA interacts with Gfra1 and maintains survival of mouse spermatogonial stem cells.
abstract: Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are unique male germline stem cells that support spermatogenesis and male fertility. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) have been identified as key regulators of stem cell fate; however, their role in SSCs has not been explored. Here, we report that a novel spermatogonia-specific lncRNA (lncRNA033862) is essential for the survival of murine SSCs. LncRNA033862 is expressed in early spermatogonia including SSC and was among 805 lncRNAs identified by global expression profiling as responsive to glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a growth factor required for SSC self-renewal and survival. LncRNA033862 is an antisense transcript of the GDNF receptor alpha1 (Gfra1) that lacks protein coding potential and regulates Gfra1 expression levels by interacting with Gfra1 chromatin. Importantly, lncRNA033862 knockdown severely impairs SSC survival and their capacity to repopulate recipient testes in a transplantation assay. Collectively, our data provide the first evidence that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate SSC fate.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (SKLRM), Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (SKLRM), Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (SKLRM), Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (SKLRM), Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (SKLRM), Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (SKLRM), Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (SKLRM), Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (SKLRM), Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine (SKLRM), Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D002843:Chromatin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D051097:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; C494988:Gfra1 protein, mouse; D051097:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding