CTCF-mediated 3D chromatin sets up the gene expression program in the male germline

Spermatogenesis is a unidirectional differentiation process that generates haploid sperm, but how the gene expression program that directs this process is established is largely unknown. Here we determine the high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) chromatin architecture of mouse male germ cells during spermatogenesis and show that CTCF-mediated 3D chromatin dictates the gene expression program required for spermatogenesis. In undifferentiated spermatogonia, CTCF-mediated chromatin interactions between meiosis-specific super-enhancers (SEs) and their target genes precede activation of these SEs on autosomes. These meiotic SEs recruit the master transcription factor A-MYB (MYBL1) in meiotic spermatocytes, which strengthens their 3D contacts and instructs a burst of meiotic gene expression. We also find that at the mitosis-to-meiosis transition, the germline-specific Polycomb protein SCML2 facilitates the resolution of chromatin loops that are specific to mitotic spermatogonia. Moreover, SCML2 and A-MYB help shape the unique 3D chromatin organization of sex chromosomes during meiotic sex chromosome inactivation. We propose that CTCF-mediated 3D chromatin organization regulates epigenetic priming that directs unidirectional differentiation, thereby determining the cellular identity of the male germline.