Publications by authors named "Pinglan Yang"
Despite continuous expansion of the RNA binding protein (RBP) world, there is a lack of systematic understanding of RBPs in the mammalian testis, which harbors one of the most complex tissue transcriptomes. We adapted RNA interactome capture to mouse male germ cells, building an RBP atlas characterized by multiple layers of dynamics along spermatogenesis. Trapping of RNA-cross-linked peptides showed that the glutamic acid-arginine (ER) patch, a residue-coevolved polyampholytic element present in coiled coils, enhances RNA binding of its host RBPs.
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- DDX43 is identified as a crucial RNA helicase that regulates chromatin remodeling during spermatogenesis, specifically in the transition from histones to protamines.
- Testis-specific deletion of Ddx43 in mice leads to male infertility due to issues with chromatin condensation and histone replacement.
- Single-cell RNA sequencing shows that DDX43 impacts RNA regulatory processes in germ cells and identifies the Elfn2 gene as a key target in these processes.
Although hundreds of knockout mice show infertility as a major phenotype, the causative genic mutations of male infertility in humans remain rather limited. Here, we report the identification of a missense mutation (D136G) in the X-linked TAF7L gene as a potential cause of oligozoospermia in men. The human aspartate (D136) is evolutionally conserved across species, and its change to glycine (G) is predicted to be detrimental.
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