Journal
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
Volume 32, Issue 5, Pages 574-588Publisher
CELL PRESS
DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2015.01.014
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Funding
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science postdoctoral fellowship
- Lalor Foundation postdoctoral fellowship
- Developmental Fund at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
- March of Dimes Foundation [FY13-510]
- NIH [HL085587, HL098691, GM098605]
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Gametogenesis is dependent on the expression of germline-specific genes. However, it remains unknown how the germline epigenome is distinctly established from that of somatic lineages. Here we show that genes commonly expressed in somatic lineages and spermatogenesis-progenitor cells undergo repression in a genome-wide manner in late stages of the male germline and identify underlying mechanisms. SCML2, a germline-specific subunit of a Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1), establishes the unique epigenome of the male germline through two distinct antithetical mechanisms. SCML2 works with PRC1 and promotes RNF2-dependent ubiquitination of H2A, thereby marking somatic/progenitor genes on autosomes for repression. Paradoxically, SCML2 also prevents RNF2-dependent ubiquitination of H2A on sex chromosomes during meiosis, thereby enabling unique epigenetic programming of sex chromosomes for male reproduction. Our results reveal divergent mechanisms involving a shared regulator by which the male germline epigenome is distinguished from that of the soma and progenitor cells.
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