journal article Open Access Feb 25, 2026

BOLL ‐Containing Aggregates Mediate the Translational Regulation During Human Oogenesis

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Abstract
ABSTRACT
Human oocyte meiosis utilises a specialised translational control strategy to coordinate meiotic progression, mediated through dynamic regulation of mRNA stores. While germ cell‐specific RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs) are known to orchestrate this post‐transcriptional programme, the mechanistic basis of RBP‐mediated cell fate specification remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that BOLL, a Deleted in Azoospermia (DAZ) family protein, forms protein aggregates during meiotic prophase to drive translational reprogramming in human oogenesis. We determined that BOLL enhances the translation efficiency of cell cycle regulators, as demonstrated by integrative translatome‐transcriptome analysis combined with RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing. We also revealed the functional interaction network of BOLL with core translation machinery components through its conserved DAZ‐containing domain. Crucially, we identified SDS‐resistant protein aggregates as a structural signature of BOLL in human oocyte‐like cells, demonstrated by semi‐denaturing electrophoretic analysis. Using human foetal ovarian tissues and an hESC‐derived oogenesis model, we delineate a paradigm wherein BOLL‐containing aggregates exert spatiotemporal control over cell cycle genes during meiosis prophase. These findings reveal that protein aggregates of gametogenesis‐specific RBPs constitute an evolutionarily conserved mechanism in mammalian reproductive regulation.
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Published
Feb 25, 2026
Vol/Issue
59(4)
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Funding
National Natural Science Foundation of China Award: 32350710190
Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China Award: 2022YFA0806301
Cite This Article
Lingya Mao, Boyuan Liang, Longxin Xie, et al. (2026). BOLL ‐Containing Aggregates Mediate the Translational Regulation During Human Oogenesis. Cell Proliferation, 59(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/cpr.70181