The Rapidly Evolving X-linked miR-506 Family Finetunes Spermatogenesis to Enhance Sperm Competition

Despite rapid evolution across eutherian mammals, the X-linked family miRNAs are located in a region flanked by two highly conserved protein-coding genes ( and ) on the X chromosome. Intriguingly, these miRNAs are predominantly expressed in the testis, suggesting a potential role in spermatogenesis...

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Published inbioRxiv
Main Authors Wang, Zhuqing, Wang, Yue, Zhou, Tong, Chen, Sheng, Morris, Dayton, Magalhães, Rubens Daniel Miserani, Li, Musheng, Wang, Shawn, Wang, Hetan, Xie, Yeming, McSwiggin, Hayden, Oliver, Daniel, Yuan, Shuiqiao, Zheng, Huili, Mohammed, Jaaved, Lai, Eric C, McCarrey, John R, Yan, Wei
Format Journal Article Paper
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 20.01.2024
Subjects
Competitiveness
Embryogenesis
Fertility
Gene expression
Reproductive fitness
Retrotransposition
Sperm
Sperm competition
Spermatogenesis
Transcriptomics
Transposons
microRNAs
Biological Sciences
selective pressure
spermatogenesis
Genetics
Physiology
sperm competition
evolution
male fertility
reproductive fitness
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Summary:Despite rapid evolution across eutherian mammals, the X-linked family miRNAs are located in a region flanked by two highly conserved protein-coding genes ( and ) on the X chromosome. Intriguingly, these miRNAs are predominantly expressed in the testis, suggesting a potential role in spermatogenesis and male fertility. Here, we report that the X-linked family miRNAs were derived from the MER91C DNA transposons. Selective inactivation of individual miRNAs or clusters caused no discernable defects, but simultaneous ablation of five clusters containing nineteen members of the family led to reduced male fertility in mice. Despite normal sperm counts, motility and morphology, the KO sperm were less competitive than wild-type sperm when subjected to a polyandrous mating scheme. Transcriptomic and bioinformatic analyses revealed that these X-linked family miRNAs, in addition to targeting a set of conserved genes, have more targets that are critical for spermatogenesis and embryonic development during evolution. Our data suggest that the family miRNAs function to enhance sperm competitiveness and reproductive fitness of the male by finetuning gene expression during spermatogenesis.
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SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Working Paper/Pre-Print-1
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ISSN:2692-8205
2692-8205
DOI:10.1101/2023.06.14.544876