A narrative review of the histone acetylation and deacetylation during mammalian spermatogenesis

Abstract

Dynamic epigenetic control is essential for proper spermatogenesis. Spermatogenesis is a unique mechanism that includes recombination, meiosis, and the conversion of histones to protamines. Epigenetics refers to the ability to modify gene expression without affecting DNA strands directly and helps to regulate the dynamic gene expression throughout the differentiation process of spermatogonium stem cells. Histone alterations and DNA methylation control the epigenome. While histone modifications can result in either expression or repression depending on the type of modification, the type of histone protein, and its specific residue, histone acetylation is one of the changes that typically results in gene expression. Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) add an acetyl group to the amino-terminal of the core histone proteins, causing histone acetylation. On the other hand, histone deacetylases (HDACs) catalyze histone deacetylation, which is linked to the suppression of gene expression. This review highlights the significance of HATs and HDACs during mammalian spermatogenesis and focuses on what is known about changes in their expression.