The Key Laboratory of Model Animals and Stem Cell Biology in Hunan Province, The Engineering Research Center of Reproduction and Translational Medicine of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University School of Medicine, The Manufacture-Based Learning and Research Demonstration Center for Human Reproductive Health New Technology of Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410013, China.
Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2024 Sep 2;81(1):379. doi: 10.1007/s00018-024-05399-6.
As the most abundant small RNAs, piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) have been identified as a new class of non-coding RNAs with 24-32 nucleotides in length, and they are expressed at high levels in male germ cells. PiRNAs have been implicated in the regulation of several biological processes, including cell differentiation, development, and male reproduction. In this review, we focused on the functions and molecular mechanisms of piRNAs in controlling spermatogenesis, including genome stability, regulation of gene expression, and male germ cell development. The piRNA pathways include two major pathways, namely the pre-pachytene piRNA pathway and the pachytene piRNA pathway. In the pre-pachytene stage, piRNAs are involved in chromosome remodeling and gene expression regulation to maintain genome stability by inhibiting transposon activity. In the pachytene stage, piRNAs mediate the development of male germ cells via regulating gene expression by binding to mRNA and RNA cleavage. We further discussed the correlations between the abnormalities of piRNAs and male infertility and the prospective of piRNAs' applications in reproductive medicine and future studies. This review provides novel insights into mechanisms underlying mammalian spermatogenesis and offers new targets for diagnosing and treating male infertility.
作为最丰富的小 RNA 之一，piwi 相互作用 RNA (piRNAs) 已被确定为一类新的非编码 RNA，长度为 24-32 个核苷酸，在雄性生殖细胞中高水平表达。piRNAs 参与了几个生物学过程的调节，包括细胞分化、发育和雄性生殖。在这篇综述中，我们重点介绍了 piRNAs 在控制精子发生中的功能和分子机制，包括基因组稳定性、基因表达调控和雄性生殖细胞发育。piRNA 途径包括两个主要途径，即前期 piRNA 途径和粗线期 piRNA 途径。在前期阶段，piRNAs 参与染色体重塑和基因表达调控，通过抑制转座子活性来维持基因组稳定性。在粗线期，piRNAs 通过与 mRNA 结合和 RNA 切割来调节基因表达，从而介导雄性生殖细胞的发育。我们进一步讨论了 piRNAs 异常与男性不育之间的相关性，以及 piRNAs 在生殖医学和未来研究中应用的前景。本综述为哺乳动物精子发生的机制提供了新的见解，并为男性不育的诊断和治疗提供了新的靶点。
