PMID:23401851

Citation	Hussain, S, Tuorto, F, Menon, S, Blanco, S, Cox, C, Flores, JV, Watt, S, Kudo, NR, Lyko, F and Frye, M' (2013) The mouse cytosine-5 RNA methyltransferase NSun2 is a component of the chromatoid body and required for testis differentiation. Mol. Cell. Biol. '
Abstract	Post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms are crucial for protein synthesis during spermatogenesis and often organized by the chromatoid body. Here, we identify the RNA methyltransferase NSun2 as a novel component of the chromatoid body, and further show that NSun2 is essential for germ cell differentiation in the mouse testis. In NSun2-depleted testis genes encoding for Ddx4, Miwi and Tudor domain containing (Tdr) proteins are repressed, indicating that RNA processing and post-transcriptional pathways are impaired. Loss of NSun2 specifically blocked meiotic progression of germ cells into the pachytene stage, as spermatogonial and Sertoli cells were unaffected in knockout mice. We observed the same phenotype when we simultaneously deleted NSun2 with Dnmt2, the only other characterized cytosine-5 RNA methyltransferase to date, indicating that Dnmt2 was not functionally redundant for NSun2 in spermatogonial stem cells or Sertoli cells. Specific NSun2- and Dnmt2-methylated transfer RNAs decreased in abundance when both methyltransferases are deleted, suggesting that RNA methylation pathways play an essential role in male germ cell differentiation.
Links	PubMed Online version:10.1128/MCB.01523-12
Keywords
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Annotations

Gene product	Qualifier	GO Term	Evidence Code	with/from	Aspect	Extension	Notes	Status
MOUSE:NSUN2		GO:0007286: spermatid development	ECO:0000315:		P		Figures 1 C and D illustrate the lack of spermatids but the presence of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes.	complete CACAO 7047
MOUSE:NSUN2		GO:0033313: meiotic cell cycle checkpoint	ECO:0000315:		P		Figure 2 shows the arrest of germ cells in the leptotene and zygotene stages in the mutant mice. This indicates that NSun2 is required for entry into the pachytene stage.	complete CACAO 7048
MOUSE:NSUN2		GO:0033391: chromatoid body	ECO:0000314:		C		Figure 5 A, B, D, and E.	complete CACAO 7049
MOUSE:NSUN2	part_of	GO:0033391: chromatoid body	ECO:0000314: direct assay evidence used in manual assertion		C		Seeded From UniProt	complete
MOUSE:NSUN2	involved_in	GO:0007286: spermatid development	ECO:0000315: mutant phenotype evidence used in manual assertion		P		Seeded From UniProt	complete
MOUSE:NSUN2	involved_in	GO:0033313: meiotic cell cycle checkpoint	ECO:0000315: mutant phenotype evidence used in manual assertion		P		Seeded From UniProt	complete

References

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