Defining the Mechanism of Meiotic Initiation Through Autophagy Pathway

项目总结 精子数量和质量差是男性不育的主要原因，全世界约7%的男性受到影响。男性生育能力 取决于二倍体生殖细胞(精原细胞)转化为单倍体精子(精子)。减数分裂 在这一过程中，启动是一个决定性的步骤，围绕着从有丝分裂到减数分裂的细胞周期的转变，以及 需要激活减数分裂前期I的染色体事件所需的减数分裂基因到目前为止，最好的 哺乳动物减数分裂启动的特征守门人是由维甲酸基因8(Stra8)刺激的，因为 Stra8P-/-P生殖细胞不表达减数分裂基因的一个子集，不进入减数分裂。我们最近的研究表明 STRA8作为自噬抑制因子的一个新的分子作用，表明减数分裂起始之间存在新的联系 以及自噬，这是一个蛋白质和细胞器的降解过程。根据这一信息，我们假设 STRA8介导的自噬抑制允许减数分裂基因所需蛋白质的积累 激活和启动；在没有STRA8的情况下，这些蛋白质通过自噬降解，从而阻止减数分裂。 为了验证我们的假设，我们将：1)研究自噬在STRA8介导的减数分裂启动中的作用。2) 定义自噬和减数分裂启动之间的分子联系。我们的研究将共同建立自噬 作为一种尚未被认识的减数分裂启动调节器，并发现自噬敏感蛋白作为 哺乳动物在这一过程中的基本分子步骤。通过更好地理解自噬 作为减数分裂诱导的障碍，我们的研究将为体外配子的研究提供重大的技术进步。 制作。最终，我们研究的翻译可能在自噬途径中识别新的治疗靶点。 用于男性不育症或避孕治疗。

PROJECT SUMMARY Poor sperm quantity and quality are major causes of male infertility, affecting ~7% of men worldwide. Male fertility depends on the conversion of diploid germ cells (spermatogonia) into haploid spermatozoa (sperm). Meiotic initiation, a defining step in this process, revolves around the transition from mitotic to meiotic cell cycles and entails activation of meiotic genes required for the chromosomal events of meiosis prophase I. To date, a best characterized gatekeeper of meiotic initiation in mammals is stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 (Stra8), in that Stra8P–/–P germ cells fail to express a subset of meiotic genes and do not enter meiosis. Our recent work indicates a novel molecular role of STRA8 as a suppressor of autophagy, suggesting a novel link between meiotic initiation and autophagy, a protein and cellular organelle degradation process. Based on this information, we hypothesize that STRA8-mediated suppression of autophagy allows accumulation of proteins required for meiotic gene activation and initiation; in the absence of STRA8, these proteins are degraded by autophagy, precluding meiosis. To test our hypothesis, we will: 1) investigate the role of autophagy in STRA8-mediated meiotic initiation. 2) define the molecular links between autophagy and meiotic initiation. Together, our study will establish autophagy as a yet unrecognized regulator of meiotic initiation and uncover autophagy-sensitive proteins that serve as essential molecular steps during this process in mammals. By developing a better understanding of autophagy as a barrier to meiotic induction, our study will offer a significant technical advancement for in vitro gamete production. Ultimately, translation of our study may identify novel therapeutic targets in the autophagy pathway for male infertility or contraception treatment.