Transposon-driven transcription is a conserved feature of vertebrate spermatogenesis and transcript evolution.
View / Open Files
Authors
Davis, Matthew P
Carrieri, Claudia
Saini, Harpreet K
van Dongen, Stijn
Leonardi, Tommaso
Bussotti, Giovanni
Monahan, Jack M
Auchynnikava, Tania
Bitetti, Angelo
Allshire, Robin C
Shkumatava, Alena
Publication Date
2017-07Journal Title
EMBO Rep
ISSN
1469-221X
Publisher
EMBO
Volume
18
Issue
7
Pages
1231-1247
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Physical Medium
Print-Electronic
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Davis, M. P., Carrieri, C., Saini, H. K., van Dongen, S., Leonardi, T., Bussotti, G., Monahan, J. M., et al. (2017). Transposon-driven transcription is a conserved feature of vertebrate spermatogenesis and transcript evolution.. EMBO Rep, 18 (7), 1231-1247. https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.201744059
Abstract
Spermatogenesis is associated with major and unique changes to chromosomes and chromatin. Here, we sought to understand the impact of these changes on spermatogenic transcriptomes. We show that long terminal repeats (LTRs) of specific mouse endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) drive the expression of many long non-coding transcripts (lncRNA). This process occurs post-mitotically predominantly in spermatocytes and round spermatids. We demonstrate that this transposon-driven lncRNA expression is a conserved feature of vertebrate spermatogenesis. We propose that transposon promoters are a mechanism by which the genome can explore novel transcriptional substrates, increasing evolutionary plasticity and allowing for the genesis of novel coding and non-coding genes. Accordingly, we show that a small fraction of these novel ERV-driven transcripts encode short open reading frames that produce detectable peptides. Finally, we find that distinct ERV elements from the same subfamilies act as differentially activated promoters in a tissue-specific context. In summary, we demonstrate that LTRs can act as tissue-specific promoters and contribute to post-mitotic spermatogenic transcriptome diversity.
Keywords
Spermatocytes, Animals, Mice, Endogenous Retroviruses, DNA Transposable Elements, Genomics, Evolution, Molecular, Spermatogenesis, Transcription, Genetic, Terminal Repeat Sequences, Open Reading Frames, Male, Promoter Regions, Genetic, Transcriptome, RNA, Long Noncoding
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.201744059
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/269628
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International, Attribution 4.0 International, Attribution 4.0 International, Attribution 4.0 International, Attribution 4.0 International
Statistics
Total file downloads (since January 2020). For more information on metrics see the
IRUS guide.
Recommended or similar items
The current recommendation prototype on the Apollo Repository will be turned off on 03 February 2023. Although the pilot has been fruitful for both parties, the service provider IKVA is focusing on horizon scanning products and so the recommender service can no longer be supported. We recognise the importance of recommender services in supporting research discovery and are evaluating offerings from other service providers. If you would like to offer feedback on this decision please contact us on: support@repository.cam.ac.uk
The following licence files are associated with this item: