156 3 REPRODUCTIONRESEARCH SPEN protein expression and interactions with chromatin in mouse testicular cells Joanna Korfanty1, Tomasz Stokowy2, Marek Chadalski1, Agnieszka Toma-Jonik1, Natalia Vydra1, Piotr Widłak1, Bartosz Wojtaś3, Bartłomiej Gielniewski3 and Wieslawa Widlak1 1Maria Sklodowska-Curie Institute – Oncology Center, Gliwice Branch, Gliwice, Poland, 2Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway and 3Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Neurobiology Center, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, PAS, Warsaw, Poland Correspondence should be addressed to W Widlak; Email:
[email protected] Abstract SPEN (spen family transcription repressor) is a nucleic acid-binding protein putatively involved in repression of gene expression. We hypothesized that SPEN could be involved in general downregulation of the transcription during the heat shock response in mouse spermatogenic cells through its interactions with chromatin. We documented predominant nuclear localization of the SPEN protein in spermatocytes and round spermatids, which was retained after heat shock. Moreover, the protein was excluded from the highly condensed chromatin. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments clearly indicated interactions of SPEN with chromatin in vivo. However, ChIP-Seq analyses did not reveal any strong specific peaks both in untreated and heat shocked cells, which might suggest dispersed localization of SPEN and/or its indirect binding to DNA. Using in situ proximity ligation assay we found close in vivo associations of SPEN with MTA1 (metastasis-associated 1), a member of the nucleosome remodeling complex with histone deacetylase activity, which might contribute to interactions of SPEN with chromatin. Reproduction (2018) 156 195–206 Introduction However, regulation of osteocalcin expression by SPEN depends on its interactions with other proteins.