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Regulatory non‐coding transcripts in spermatogenesis: shedding light on ‘dark matter’
Author(s) -
Mukherjee A.,
Koli S.,
Reddy K. V. R.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
andrology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.947
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 2047-2927
pISSN - 2047-2919
DOI - 10.1111/j.2047-2927.2014.00183.x
Subject(s) - piwi interacting rna , biology , microrna , gene , germline , long non coding rna , regulation of gene expression , spermatogenesis , computational biology , genetics , gene expression , rna , microbiology and biotechnology , rna interference , endocrinology
Summary Global rise in male infertility over the past decades as a result of falling sperm count and quality has been pointed out by different investigations. Therefore, it is important to understand the molecular mechanism of spermatogenesis and its regulation. Mammalian spermatogenesis, a streamlined process through which male germline cells divide and differentiate into mature spermatozoa, is strictly regulated by phase‐specific gene expression which, in turn, is controlled by myriads of regulatory non‐coding RNA s (nc RNA s). Rapid advancement in genome mining technologies has identified role of nc RNA s including micro RNA s, PIWI ‐interacting RNA s, endogenous small‐interfering RNA s and long non‐coding RNA s as controller of gene expression at transcriptional as well as post‐transcriptional level in different biological context and disease processes. Here, we discuss the recent progress in our understanding about the involvement of these molecules in spermatogenesis. In addition, we describe here the possible roles of long non‐coding RNA s in controlling this process which is not delved so far.