A Testis-Specific Long Non-Coding RNA, , Regulates Immune-Related Genes in Mouse Male Germ Cells.

Spermatogenesis is precisely controlled by hormones from the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis and testis-specific genes, but the regulatory mechanism is not fully understood. Recently, a large number of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are found to be transcribed at each stage of meiosis of male germ cells, and their functions in spermatogenesis have yet to be fully investigated. () is a nuclear lncRNA which is specifically expressed in mouse male germ cells and presumed to play a role in gene regulation during meiosis. Here, we present the identification of potential target genes of using spermatocyte-derived GC-2spd(ts) cells. Initially, 55 target gene candidates were detected by RNA-sequencing of two GC-2spd(ts) cell clones that were stably transfected with transgenes to express at different levels. Expression of 21 genes of the candidates was found to be correlated with at 7-14 postnatal days, when expression was elevated. Subsequently, we examined expression levels of the 21 genes in other two GC-2spd(ts) clones, and 11 genes exhibited the correlation with . Induction of transcription using the Tet-off system verified that six genes, , and , were upregulated in GC-2spd(ts) cells, indicating that is responsible for the regulation of gene expression of the six genes. In addition, five of the six genes, namely, , and , are immune response genes, and is a negative regulator of immune response. Altogether, the present study suggests that is responsible for gene regulation for the immune response during spermatogenesis.