Huwe1 Regulates the Establishment and Maintenance of Spermatogonia by Suppressing DNA Damage Response

Abstract Spermatogenesis is sustained by a heterogeneous population of spermatogonia which includes the spermatogonial stem cells. However, the mechanisms underlying their establishment from gonocyte embryonic precursors and their maintenance thereafter remain largely unknown. Here, we report that inactivation of the ubiquitin ligase Huwe1 in male germ cells in mice led to the degeneration of spermatogonia in neonates and resulted in a Sertoli cell-only phenotype in the adult. Huwe1 KO gonocytes showed a decrease in mitotic re-entry which inhibited their transition to spermatogonia. Inactivation of Huwe1 in primary spermatogonial culture or the C18-4 cell line resulted in cell degeneration. Degeneration of Huwe1 KO spermatogonia was associated with an increased level of histone H2AX and an elevated DNA damage response that led to apparent mitotic catastrophe but not apoptosis nor senescence. Blocking this increase in H2AX prevented the degeneration of Huwe1-depleted cells. Together, these results reveal a previously undefined role of Huwe1 in orchestrating the physiological DNA damage response in the male germline that contributes to the establishment and maintenance of spermatogonia.