Sophie Barral, Yuichi Morozumi, Hiroki Tanaka, Emilie Montellier, Jérôme Govin, Maud de Dieuleveult, Guillaume Charbonnier, Yohann Couté, Denis Puthier, Thierry Buchou, Fayçal Boussouar, Takashi Urahama, François Fenaille, Sandrine Curtet, Patrick Héry, Nicolas Fernandez-Nunez, Hitoshi Shiota, Matthieu Gérard, Sophie Rousseaux, Hitoshi Kurumizaka, Saadi Khochbin
Histone replacement by transition proteins (TPs) and protamines (Prms) constitutes an essential step for the successful production of functional male gametes, yet nothing is known on the underlying functional interplay between histones, TPs, and Prms. Here, by studying spermatogenesis in the absence of a spermatid-specific histone variant, H2A.L.2, we discover a fundamental mechanism involved in the transformation of nucleosomes into nucleoprotamines. H2A.L.2 is synthesized at the same time as TPs and enables their loading onto the nucleosomes...
April 6, 2017: Molecular Cell