Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
Exp Cell Res. 2010 May 15;316(9):1567-75. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2010.02.023. Epub 2010 Feb 26.
Haploid male germ cells are featured by an intriguing cytoplasmic cloud-like structure that has been named as chromatoid body (CB) on the basis of its staining properties and appearance under a microscope. Notwithstanding its early discovery in the late 19th century, the function of the CB is still largely obscure. Emerging evidence suggests a role for the CB and other similar RNA-containing granules, such as germ plasm in lower organism and processing bodies in somatic cells, in the control and organization of RNA processing and/or storage. Despite the increasing scientific demand, the lack of CB purification protocols has still been the main obstacle in the functional characterization of this structure. We have successfully isolated CBs from mouse testis by a novel immunoaffinity purification procedure and validated by several different methods that pure CB fractions are obtained. Analysis of the CB RNA content reveals enrichment of PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), further emphasizing the role of CB as the RNA processing body.
单倍体雄性生殖细胞的细胞质中有一种有趣的云状结构，根据其染色特性和在显微镜下的外观，被命名为染色质体（CB）。尽管早在 19 世纪末期就已经发现了 CB，但它的功能仍然很大程度上不为人知。新出现的证据表明，CB 以及其他类似的含有 RNA 的颗粒，如低等生物中的生殖质和体细胞中的处理体，在 RNA 处理和/或存储的控制和组织中发挥作用。尽管科学需求不断增加，但缺乏 CB 纯化方案仍然是对该结构进行功能表征的主要障碍。我们通过一种新的免疫亲和纯化程序成功地从小鼠睾丸中分离出 CB，并通过几种不同的方法验证了获得了纯的 CB 级分。对 CB RNA 含量的分析显示富含 PIWI 相互作用 RNA（piRNAs），这进一步强调了 CB 作为 RNA 处理体的作用。
