TSSK-dependent signaling pathway in spermatogenesis

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ABSTRACT Testis-specific serine kinases (TSSKs) belong to AMPK-related kinase family. Loss-of-function mutants of some TSSK members lead to spermatogenesis defects in male mice, and several SNPs of TSSKs are associated with male infertility in humans. However, the TSSK signaling mechanism during spermatogenesis is not understood. This proposal employs Drosophila as a model system to investigate a novel kinase-substrate pair: TSSKs-class IIa HDACs. Aim 1 will determine whether class IIa HDACs are substrates of TSSKs using both biochemical and genetic approaches. Aim 2 will explore the functional relevance of TSSKs-class IIa HDACs during spermatogenesis in Drosophila. Collectively, this proposal will establish class IIa HDACs as the key downstream component of TSSK signaling.