Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (Feb 2021)

RBM14 Modulates Tubulin Acetylation and Regulates Spindle Morphology During Meiotic Maturation in Mouse Oocytes

  • Hao Qin,
  • Hao Qin,
  • Hao Qin,
  • Hao Qin,
  • Yi Qu,
  • Yi Qu,
  • Yi Qu,
  • Yi Qu,
  • Yi-Feng Yuan,
  • Yi-Feng Yuan,
  • Yi-Feng Yuan,
  • Yi-Feng Yuan,
  • Yang-Yang Li,
  • Yang-Yang Li,
  • Yang-Yang Li,
  • Yang-Yang Li,
  • Jie Qiao,
  • Jie Qiao,
  • Jie Qiao,
  • Jie Qiao,
  • Jie Qiao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2021.635728
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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RBM14 is an RNA-binding protein that regulates spindle integrity in mitosis; however, its functions during meiosis are still unclear. In this study, we discovered that RBM14 expression was down-regulated in oocytes from old mice. The RBM14 distribution at different stages of meiosis was explored, while it presents overlapped localization patterns with α-tubulin in MI- and MII-stage oocytes. Treatment of MI-stage oocytes with spindle-perturbing agents revealed that RBM14 was co-localized with microtubules. RBM14 knockdown with RBM14-specific morpholino showed that RBM14-depleted oocytes underwent symmetric division compared to the controls. RBM14 knockdown also resulted in spindle defects and chromosome abnormalities during oocyte maturation, presumably due to α-tubulin hyperacetylation. Co-immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that RBM14 is interacted with endogenous α-tubulin in mammalian cells. These findings indicate that RBM14 is an essential modulator of oocyte meiotic maturation by regulating α-tubulin acetylation to affect spindle morphology and chromosome alignment. Consequently, RBM14 represents a potential biomarker of oocyte quality and a novel therapeutic target in women with oocyte maturation failure.

Keywords