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Shi DL. Interplay of RNA-binding proteins controls germ cell development in zebrafish. J Genet Genomics 2024:S1673-8527(24)00163-2. [PMID: 38969260 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2024.06.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
The specification of germ cells in zebrafish mostly relies on an inherited mechanism by which localized maternal determinants, called germ plasm, confer germline fate in the early embryo. Extensive studies have partially allowed the identification of key regulators governing germ plasm formation and subsequent germ cell development. RNA-binding proteins, acting in concert with other germ plasm components, play essential roles in the organization of the germ plasm and the specification, migration, maintenance, and differentiation of primordial germ cells. The loss of their functions impairs germ cell formation and causes sterility or sexual conversion. Evidence is emerging that they instruct germline development through differential regulation of mRNA fates in somatic and germ cells. However, the challenge remains to decipher the complex interplay of maternal germ plasm components in germ plasm compartmentalization and germ cell specification. Since failure to control the developmental outcome of germ cells disrupts the formation of gametes, it is important to gain a complete picture of regulatory mechanisms operating in the germ cell lineage. This review sheds light on the contributions of RNA-binding proteins to germ cell development in zebrafish and highlights intriguing questions that remain open for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- De-Li Shi
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology, CNRS-UMR7622, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne University, 75005 Paris, France.
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2
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Turgeon A, Fu J, Divyanshi, Ma M, Jin Z, Hwang H, Li M, Qiao H, Mei W, Yang J. Dzip1 is dynamically expressed in the vertebrate germline and regulates the development of Xenopus primordial germ cells. Dev Biol 2024; 514:28-36. [PMID: 38880277 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2024.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the precursors of sperms and oocytes. Proper development of PGCs is crucial for the survival of the species. In many organisms, factors responsible for PGC development are synthesized during early oogenesis and assembled into the germ plasm. During early embryonic development, germ plasm is inherited by a few cells, leading to the formation of PGCs. While germline development has been extensively studied, how components of the germ plasm regulate PGC development is not fully understood. Here, we report that Dzip1 is dynamically expressed in vertebrate germline and is a novel component of the germ plasm in Xenopus and zebrafish. Knockdown of Dzip1 impairs PGC development in Xenopus embryos. At the molecular level, Dzip1 physically interacts with Dazl, an evolutionarily conserved RNA-binding protein that plays a multifaced role during germline development. We further showed that the sequence between amino acid residues 282 and 550 of Dzip1 is responsible for binding to Dazl. Disruption of the binding between Dzip1 and Dazl leads to defective PGC development. Taken together, our results presented here demonstrate that Dzip1 is dynamically expressed in the vertebrate germline and plays a novel function during Xenopus PGC development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Turgeon
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Jia Fu
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Divyanshi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Meng Ma
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Zhigang Jin
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Hyojeong Hwang
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Meining Li
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Huanyu Qiao
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Wenyan Mei
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.
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Mullins MC. A toast to a zebrafish germ cell induction cocktail. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 67:1314-1315. [PMID: 38376713 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-024-2530-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Mary C Mullins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, 19104, USA.
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Li X, Liu C, Zhang R, Li Y, Ye D, Wang H, He M, Sun Y. Biosynthetic deficiency of docosahexaenoic acid causes nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and ferroptosis-mediated hepatocyte injury. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107405. [PMID: 38788853 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Exogenous omega-3 fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have shown to exert beneficial effects on nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is characterized by the excessive accumulation of lipids and chronic injury in the liver. However, the effect of endogenous DHA biosynthesis on the lipid homeostasis of liver is poorly understood. In this study, we used a DHA biosynthesis-deficient zebrafish model, elovl2 mutant, to explore the effect of endogenously biosynthesized DHA on hepatic lipid homeostasis. We found the pathways of lipogenesis and lipid uptake were strongly activated, while the pathways of lipid oxidation and lipid transport were inhibited in the liver of elovl2 mutants, leading to lipid droplet accumulation in the mutant hepatocytes and NAFLD. Furthermore, the elovl2 mutant hepatocytes exhibited disrupted mitochondrial structure and function, activated endoplasmic reticulum stress, and hepatic injury. We further unveiled that the hepatic cell death and injury was mainly mediated by ferroptosis, rather than apoptosis, in elovl2 mutants. Elevating DHA content in elovl2 mutants, either by the introduction of an omega-3 desaturase (fat1) transgene or by feeding with a DHA-rich diet, could strongly alleviate NAFLD features and ferroptosis-mediated hepatic injury. Together, our study elucidates the essential role of endogenous DHA biosynthesis in maintaining hepatic lipid homeostasis and liver health, highlighting that DHA deficiency can lead to NAFLD and ferroptosis-mediated hepatic injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuehui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chengjie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ru Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ding Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Houpeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Mudan He
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yonghua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Key Laboratory of Breeding Biotechnology and Sustainable Aquaculture, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China; College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; The Innovation Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
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5
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Turgeon A, Fu J, Divyanshi, Ma M, Jin Z, Hwang H, Li M, Qiao H, Mei W, Yang J. Dzip1 is dynamically expressed in the vertebrate germline and regulates the development of Xenopus primordial germ cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.20.590349. [PMID: 38712275 PMCID: PMC11071414 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.20.590349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the precursors of sperms and oocytes. Proper development of PGCs is crucial for the survival of the species. In many organisms, factors responsible for PGC development are synthesized during early oogenesis and assembled into the germ plasm. During early embryonic development, germ plasm is inherited by a few cells, leading to the formation of PGCs. While germline development has been extensively studied, how components of the germ plasm regulate PGC development is not fully understood. Here, we report that Dzip1 is dynamically expressed in vertebrate germline and is a novel component of the germ plasm in Xenopus and zebrafish. Knockdown of Dzip1 impairs PGC development in Xenopus embryos. At the molecular level, Dzip1 physically interacts with Dazl, an evolutionarily conserved RNA-binding protein that plays a multifaced role during germline development. We further showed that the sequence between amino acid residues 282 and 550 of Dzip1 is responsible for binding to Dazl. Disruption of the binding between Dzip1 and Dazl leads to defective PGC development. Taken together, our results presented here demonstrate that Dzip1 is dynamically expressed in the vertebrate germline and plays a novel function during Xenopus PGC development.
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Li Y, Li X, Ye D, Zhang R, Liu C, He M, Wang H, Hu W, Sun Y. Endogenous biosynthesis of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) regulates fish oocyte maturation by promoting pregnenolone production. Zool Res 2024; 45:176-188. [PMID: 38199972 PMCID: PMC10839667 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, DHA), play crucial roles in the reproductive health of vertebrates, including humans. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism related to this phenomenon remains largely unknown. In this study, we employed two zebrafish genetic models, i.e., elovl2 -/- mutant as an endogenous DHA-deficient model and fat1 (omega-3 desaturase encoding gene) transgenic zebrafish as an endogenous DHA-rich model, to investigate the effects of DHA on oocyte maturation and quality. Results show that the elovl2 -/- mutants had much lower fecundity and poorer oocyte quality than the wild-type controls, while the fat1 zebrafish had higher fecundity and better oocyte quality than wild-type controls. DHA deficiency in elovl2 -/- embryos led to defects in egg activation, poor microtubule stability, and reduced pregnenolone levels. Further study revealed that DHA promoted pregnenolone synthesis by enhancing transcription of cyp11a1, which encodes the cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme, thereby stabilizing microtubule assembly during oogenesis. In turn, the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis was enhanced by DHA. In conclusion, using two unique genetic models, our findings demonstrate that endogenously synthesized DHA promotes oocyte maturation and quality by promoting pregnenolone production via transcriptional regulation of cyp11a1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xuehui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ding Ye
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ru Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chengjie Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mudan He
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Houpeng Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Yonghua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China. E-mail:
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