A conserved NR5A1-responsive enhancer regulates SRY in testis-determination

Denis Houzelstein*, Caroline Eozenou, Carlos F. Lagos, Maëva Elzaiat, Joelle Bignon-Topalovic, Inma Gonzalez, Vincent Laville, Laurène Schlick, Somboon Wankanit, Prochi Madon, Jyotsna Kirtane, Arundhati Athalye, Federica Buonocore, Stéphanie Bigou, Gerard S. Conway, Delphine Bohl, John C. Achermann, Anu Bashamboo, Ken McElreavey*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The Y-linked SRY gene initiates mammalian testis-determination. However, how the expression of SRY is regulated remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that a conserved steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1)/NR5A1 binding enhancer is required for appropriate SRY expression to initiate testis-determination in humans. Comparative sequence analysis of SRY 5’ regions in mammals identified an evolutionary conserved SF-1/NR5A1-binding motif within a 250 bp region of open chromatin located 5 kilobases upstream of the SRY transcription start site. Genomic analysis of 46,XY individuals with disrupted testis-determination, including a large multigenerational family, identified unique single-base substitutions of highly conserved residues within the SF-1/NR5A1-binding element. In silico modelling and in vitro assays demonstrate the enhancer properties of the NR5A1 motif. Deletion of this hemizygous element by genome-editing, in a novel in vitro cellular model recapitulating human Sertoli cell formation, resulted in a significant reduction in expression of SRY. Therefore, human NR5A1 acts as a regulatory switch between testis and ovary development by upregulating SRY expression, a role that may predate the eutherian radiation. We show that disruption of an enhancer can phenocopy variants in the coding regions of SRY that cause human testis dysgenesis. Since disease causing variants in enhancers are currently rare, the regulation of gene expression in testis-determination offers a paradigm to define enhancer activity in a key developmental process.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2796
JournalNature Communications
Volume15
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Physics and Astronomy

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