SRSF1-mediated alternative splicing is required for spermatogenesis.

Abstract

Alternative splicing (AS) plays significant roles in a multitude of fundamental biological activities. AS is prevalent in the testis, but the regulations of AS in spermatogenesis is only little explored. Here, we report that Serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 1 (SRSF1) plays critical roles in alternative splicing and male reproduction. Male germ cell-specific deletion of Srsf1 led to complete infertility by affecting spermatogenesis. Mechanistically, by combining RNA-seq data with LACE-seq data, we showed that SRSF1 affected the AS of Stra8 in a direct manner and Dazl, Dmc1, Mre11a, Syce2 and Rif1 in an indirect manner. Our findings demonstrate that SRSF1 has crucial functions in spermatogenesis and male fertility by regulating alternative splicing.