Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37283086›Full record

ArticleNucleic acids research2023

Polycomb protein SCML2 mediates paternal epigenetic inheritance through sperm chromatin.

Akihiko Sakashita, Masatoshi Ooga, Kai Otsuka, So Maezawa, Chikara Takeuchi, Sayaka Wakayama, Teruhiko Wakayama, Satoshi H Namekawa

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nucleic acids research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Environmental and Genetic Perturbations of the Sperm Epigenome.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026
    Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. The Growth, Pathogenesis, and Secondary Metabolism ofJournal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Epigenetic priming in the male germline.Current opinion in genetics & development · 2024
    Review
  13. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Akihiko SakashitaDivision of Reproductive Sciences, Division of Developmental Biology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH45229, USA.
Masatoshi OogaFaculty of Life and Environmental Science, University of Yamanashi, Kofu400-8510, Japan.
Kai OtsukaDepartment of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California Davis, Davis, CA95616, USA.
So MaezawaDivision of Reproductive Sciences, Division of Developmental Biology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH45229, USA.
Chikara TakeuchiDepartment of Molecular Biology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo160-8582, Japan.
Sayaka WakayamaAdvanced Biotechnology Center, University of Yamanashi, Kofu400-8510, Japan.
Teruhiko WakayamaFaculty of Life and Environmental Science, University of Yamanashi, Kofu400-8510, Japan.
Satoshi H NamekawaDivision of Reproductive Sciences, Division of Developmental Biology, Perinatal Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH45229, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1052-943X
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center · USUniversity of Yamanashi · JPAzabu University · JPKeio University · JPUniversity of California, Davis · US

Funding

Epigenetic gene regulations in the germlineR35GM141085 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI Satoshi Namekawa · 2021 to 2026
$4.4M
Epigenetic Regulation of Gene Expression during SpermatogenesisR01GM122776 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI NAMEKAWA, SATOSHI · 2018 to 2021
$1.4M
NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM122776NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM141085
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sperm chromatin retains small amounts of histones, and chromatin states of sperm mirror gene expression programs of the next generation. However, it remains largely unknown how paternal epigenetic information is transmitted through sperm chromatin. Here, we present a novel mouse model of paternal epigenetic inheritance, in which deposition of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) mediated-repressive H3K27me3 is attenuated in the paternal germline. By applying modified methods of assisted reproductive technology using testicular sperm, we rescued infertility of mice missing Polycomb protein SCML2, which regulates germline gene expression by establishing H3K27me3 on bivalent promoters with other active marks H3K4me2/3. We profiled epigenomic states (H3K27me3 and H3K4me3) of testicular sperm and epididymal sperm, demonstrating that the epididymal pattern of the sperm epigenome is already established in testicular sperm and that SCML2 is required for this process. In F1 males of X-linked Scml2-knockout mice, which have a wild-type genotype, gene expression is dysregulated in the male germline during spermiogenesis. These dysregulated genes are targets of SCML2-mediated H3K27me3 in F0 sperm. Further, dysregulation of gene expression was observed in the mutant-derived wild-type F1 preimplantation embryos. Together, we present functional evidence that the classic epigenetic regulator Polycomb mediates paternal epigenetic inheritance through sperm chromatin.

Indexed as

ChromatinEpigenesis, GeneticAnimalsEpigenomicsHistonesMaleMiceMice, KnockoutPolycomb-Group ProteinsSemenSpermatozoaChromatinHistonesPolycomb-Group ProteinsSCML2 protein, mouse

Identifiers

PMID37283086
PMCPMC10359620
OpenAlexW4379599586

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.