Ribo-seq of WT and SDKO (stra8-cre;Pum1F/F; Pum2-/-) mouse testes

How chromatin regulators are regulated at translational level remained largely unexplored. Here we found that highly conserved RNA-binding proteins Pumilio 1 and 2 together promote translation of chromatin regulators in the testes to ensure sperm development. mRNA for chromatin organization and histone modification were highly enriched among the shared testis targets bound by PUM1 and PUM2.

Ablation of PUM1 and PUM2 in spermatogenic cells resulted in reduced translation efficiency of those PUM target, disrupted histone-protamine exchange, abnormal histone modification, and ultimately male sterility. We proposed that translational regulation of chromatin regulators may be a general mechanism important for epigenetic control of gene expression