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Chen X, Kan Y, Zhong Y, Jawad M, Wei W, Gu K, Gui L, Li M. Generation of a Normal Long-Term-Cultured Chinese Hook Snout Carp Spermatogonial Stem Cell Line Capable of Sperm Production In Vitro. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11071069. [PMID: 36101449 PMCID: PMC9312933 DOI: 10.3390/biology11071069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary In vitro-induced differentiation of sperm cells is a key technology for genetic resource conservation. In the past ten years, Opsariichthys bidens has become a famous and excellent aquatic species in some areas in China. However, its genetic resources have reduced dramatically. To protect against the decline of O. bidens, a long-term-cultured spermatogonial stem cell line (ObSSC) of adult O. bidens was successfully established. The result of our study showed that ObSSC had a diploid karyotype and stable growth over more than 2 years, with SSC-typical gene expression patterns. Furthermore, our research demonstrates the potential and regulation mechanism of fish spermatogonial stem cell differentiation into different cells of three germ layers. Our findings will assist further research on the genetic resource conservation of germplasm in a commercially and ecologically valuable fish species. Abstract Opsariichthys bidens belongs to the family Cyprinidae and is a small freshwater economic fish widely distributed in China. In recent years, the natural resources of O. bidens have been drastically reduced due to overfishing and the destruction of the water environment. The in vitro culture and long-term preservation of germ stem cells are the key technologies to keep genetic resources from degeneration. However, except for the establishment of the first long-term cultured medaka spermatogonia cell line (SSC) capable of producing sperm in vitro in 2004, no other long-term cultured SSC line has been found in other fish species. In this study, we successfully established another long-term-cultured spermatogonial stem cell line from Opsariichthys bidens (ObSSC). After more than 2 years of culture, ObSSC had a diploid karyotype and stable growth, with the typical gene expression patterns of SSC. Under in vitro culture, ObSSC could be induced to differentiate into sperm and other different types of somatic cells. In vivo, ObSSC could differentiate into different cells of three germ layers upon being transplanted into zebrafish embryos. Our research helps to explore the potential and regulation mechanism of fish SSC differentiation and spermatogenesis in vitro, provides a new way for solving the problem of fish genetic resource degradation and lays a foundation for further research on fish germ cell transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Chen
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; (X.C.); (Y.K.); (Y.Z.); (M.J.); (W.W.); (K.G.)
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Yuting Kan
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; (X.C.); (Y.K.); (Y.Z.); (M.J.); (W.W.); (K.G.)
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Ying Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; (X.C.); (Y.K.); (Y.Z.); (M.J.); (W.W.); (K.G.)
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
- Key Laboratory of Microecological Resources and Utilization in Breeding Industry, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 511400, China
| | - Muhammad Jawad
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; (X.C.); (Y.K.); (Y.Z.); (M.J.); (W.W.); (K.G.)
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Wenbo Wei
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; (X.C.); (Y.K.); (Y.Z.); (M.J.); (W.W.); (K.G.)
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Kaiyan Gu
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; (X.C.); (Y.K.); (Y.Z.); (M.J.); (W.W.); (K.G.)
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Lang Gui
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; (X.C.); (Y.K.); (Y.Z.); (M.J.); (W.W.); (K.G.)
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
- Correspondence: (L.G.); (M.L.)
| | - Mingyou Li
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Rice-Fish Farming, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; (X.C.); (Y.K.); (Y.Z.); (M.J.); (W.W.); (K.G.)
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
- Correspondence: (L.G.); (M.L.)
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Models and Molecular Markers of Spermatogonial Stem Cells in Vertebrates: To Find Models in Nonmammals. Stem Cells Int 2022; 2022:4755514. [PMID: 35685306 PMCID: PMC9174007 DOI: 10.1155/2022/4755514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the germline stem cells that are essential for the maintenance of spermatogenesis in the testis. However, it has not been sufficiently understood in amphibians, reptiles, and fish because numerous studies have been focused mainly on mammals. The aim of this review is to discuss scientific ways to elucidate SSC models of nonmammals in the context of the evolution of testicular organization since rodent SSC models. To further understand the SSC models in nonmammals, we point out common markers of an SSC pool (undifferentiated spermatogonia) in various types of testes where the kinetics of the SSC pool appears. This review includes the knowledge of (1) common molecular markers of vertebrate type A spermatogonia including putative SSC markers, (2) localization of the markers on the spermatogonia that have been reported in previous studies, (3) highlighting the most common markers in vertebrates, and (4) suggesting ways of finding SSC models in nonmammals.
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3
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Herpin A, Schartl M, Depincé A, Guiguen Y, Bobe J, Hua-Van A, Hayman ES, Octavera A, Yoshizaki G, Nichols KM, Goetz GW, Luckenbach JA. Allelic diversification after transposable element exaptation promoted gsdf as the master sex determining gene of sablefish. Genome Res 2021; 31:1366-1380. [PMID: 34183453 PMCID: PMC8327909 DOI: 10.1101/gr.274266.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Concepts of evolutionary biology suggest that morphological change may occur by rare punctual but rather large changes, or by more steady and gradual transformations. It can therefore be asked whether genetic changes underlying morphological, physiological, and/or behavioral innovations during evolution occur in a punctual manner, whereby a single mutational event has prominent phenotypic consequences, or if many consecutive alterations in the DNA over longer time periods lead to phenotypic divergence. In the marine teleost, sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria), complementary genomic and genetic studies led to the identification of a sex locus on the Y Chromosome. Further characterization of this locus resulted in identification of the transforming growth factor, beta receptor 1a (tgfbr1a) gene, gonadal somatic cell derived factor (gsdf), as the main candidate for fulfilling the master sex determining (MSD) function. The presence of different X and Y Chromosome copies of this gene indicated that the male heterogametic (XY) system of sex determination in sablefish arose by allelic diversification. The gsdfY gene has a spatio-temporal expression profile characteristic of a male MSD gene. We provide experimental evidence demonstrating a pivotal role of a transposable element (TE) for the divergent function of gsdfY. By insertion within the gsdfY promoter region, this TE generated allelic diversification by bringing cis-regulatory modules that led to transcriptional rewiring and thus creation of a new MSD gene. This points out, for the first time in the scenario of MSD gene evolution by allelic diversification, a single, punctual molecular event in the appearance of a new trigger for male development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaury Herpin
- INRAE, LPGP, 35000, Rennes, France.,State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, Hunan, P.R. China
| | - Manfred Schartl
- University of Wuerzburg, Developmental Biochemistry, Biocenter, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany.,Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas 78666, USA
| | | | | | | | - Aurélie Hua-Van
- Laboratoire Evolution, Génomes Comportement, Ecologie, CNRS Université Paris-Saclay, UMR 9191, IRD UMR 247, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Edward S Hayman
- Ocean Associates Incorporated, under contract to Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, USA
| | - Anna Octavera
- Department of Marine Biosciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan
| | - Goro Yoshizaki
- Department of Marine Biosciences, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo 108-8477, Japan
| | - Krista M Nichols
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, USA
| | - Giles W Goetz
- Cooperative Institutes for Climate, Ocean, and Environmental Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98112, USA
| | - J Adam Luckenbach
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, USA.,Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, USA
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Schartl M, Schories S, Wakamatsu Y, Nagao Y, Hashimoto H, Bertin C, Mourot B, Schmidt C, Wilhelm D, Centanin L, Guiguen Y, Herpin A. Sox5 is involved in germ-cell regulation and sex determination in medaka following co-option of nested transposable elements. BMC Biol 2018; 16:16. [PMID: 29378592 PMCID: PMC5789577 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-018-0485-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Sex determination relies on a hierarchically structured network of genes, and is one of the most plastic processes in evolution. The evolution of sex-determining genes within a network, by neo- or sub-functionalization, also requires the regulatory landscape to be rewired to accommodate these novel gene functions. We previously showed that in medaka fish, the regulatory landscape of the master male-determining gene dmrt1bY underwent a profound rearrangement, concomitantly with acquiring a dominant position within the sex-determining network. This rewiring was brought about by the exaptation of a transposable element (TE) called Izanagi, which is co-opted to act as a silencer to turn off the dmrt1bY gene after it performed its function in sex determination. Results We now show that a second TE, Rex1, has been incorporated into Izanagi. The insertion of Rex1 brought in a preformed regulatory element for the transcription factor Sox5, which here functions in establishing the temporal and cell-type-specific expression pattern of dmrt1bY. Mutant analysis demonstrates the importance of Sox5 in the gonadal development of medaka, and possibly in mice, in a dmrt1bY-independent manner. Moreover, Sox5 medaka mutants have complete female-to-male sex reversal. Conclusions Our work reveals an unexpected complexity in TE-mediated transcriptional rewiring, with the exaptation of a second TE into a network already rewired by a TE. We also show a dual role for Sox5 during sex determination: first, as an evolutionarily conserved regulator of germ-cell number in medaka, and second, by de novo regulation of dmrt1 transcriptional activity during primary sex determination due to exaptation of the Rex1 transposable element. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12915-018-0485-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Schartl
- Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074, Würzburg, Germany.,Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Hospital, 97080, Würzburg, Germany.,Texas Institute for Advanced Study and Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Susanne Schories
- Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Yuko Wakamatsu
- Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Yusuke Nagao
- Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hisashi Hashimoto
- Bioscience and Biotechnology Center, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Chloé Bertin
- INRA, UR1037 Fish Physiology and Genomics, F-35000, Rennes, France
| | - Brigitte Mourot
- INRA, UR1037 Fish Physiology and Genomics, F-35000, Rennes, France
| | - Cornelia Schmidt
- Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Dagmar Wilhelm
- Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Lazaro Centanin
- Centre for Organismal Studies (COS), University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Yann Guiguen
- INRA, UR1037 Fish Physiology and Genomics, F-35000, Rennes, France
| | - Amaury Herpin
- Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, 97074, Würzburg, Germany. .,INRA, UR1037 Fish Physiology and Genomics, F-35000, Rennes, France.
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Wang X, Chen T, Zhang Y, Li B, Xu Q, Song C. Isolation and Culture of Pig Spermatogonial Stem Cells and Their in Vitro Differentiation into Neuron-Like Cells and Adipocytes. Int J Mol Sci 2015; 16:26333-46. [PMID: 26556335 PMCID: PMC4661817 DOI: 10.3390/ijms161125958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2015] [Revised: 10/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) renew themselves throughout the life of an organism and also differentiate into sperm in the adult. They are multipopent and therefore, can be induced to differentiate into many cells types in vitro. SSCs from pigs, considered an ideal animal model, are used in studies of male infertility, regenerative medicine, and preparation of transgenic animals. Here, we report on a culture system for porcine SSCs and the differentiation of these cells into neuron-like cells and adipocytes. SSCs and Sertoli cells were isolated from neonatal piglet testis by differential adhesion and SSCs were cultured on a feeder layer of Sertoli cells. Third-generation SSCs were induced to differentiate into neuron-like cells by addition of retinoic acid, β-mercaptoethanol, and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) to the induction media and into adipocytes by the addition of hexadecadrol, insulin, and IBMX to the induction media. The differentiated cells were characterized by biochemical staining, qRT-PCR, and immunocytochemistry. The cells were positive for SSC markers, including alkaline phosphatase and SSC-specific genes, consistent with the cells being undifferentiated. The isolated SSCs survived on the Sertoli cells for 15 generations. Karyotyping confirmed that the chromosomal number of the SSCs were normal for pig (2n = 38, n = 19). Pig SSCs were successfully induced into neuron-like cells eight days after induction and into adipocytes 22 days after induction as determined by biochemical and immunocytochemical staining. qPCR results also support this conclusion. The nervous tissue markers genes, Nestin and β-tubulin, were expressed in the neuron-like cells and the adipocyte marker genes, PPARγ and C/EBPα, were expressed in the adipocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyan Wang
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
| | - Tingfeng Chen
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
| | - Yani Zhang
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
| | - Bichun Li
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
| | - Qi Xu
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
| | - Chengyi Song
- College of Animal Science & Technology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China.
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Herpin A, Schartl M. Plasticity of gene-regulatory networks controlling sex determination: of masters, slaves, usual suspects, newcomers, and usurpators. EMBO Rep 2015; 16:1260-74. [PMID: 26358957 DOI: 10.15252/embr.201540667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 159] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Accepted: 07/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism is one of the most pervasive and diverse features of animal morphology, physiology, and behavior. Despite the generality of the phenomenon itself, the mechanisms controlling how sex is determined differ considerably among various organismic groups, have evolved repeatedly and independently, and the underlying molecular pathways can change quickly during evolution. Even within closely related groups of organisms for which the development of gonads on the morphological, histological, and cell biological level is undistinguishable, the molecular control and the regulation of the factors involved in sex determination and gonad differentiation can be substantially different. The biological meaning of the high molecular plasticity of an otherwise common developmental program is unknown. While comparative studies suggest that the downstream effectors of sex-determining pathways tend to be more stable than the triggering mechanisms at the top, it is still unclear how conserved the downstream networks are and how all components work together. After many years of stasis, when the molecular basis of sex determination was amenable only in the few classical model organisms (fly, worm, mouse), recently, sex-determining genes from several animal species have been identified and new studies have elucidated some novel regulatory interactions and biological functions of the downstream network, particularly in vertebrates. These data have considerably changed our classical perception of a simple linear developmental cascade that makes the decision for the embryo to develop as male or female, and how it evolves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amaury Herpin
- Department Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany INRA, UR1037 Fish Physiology and Genomics, Sex Differentiation and Oogenesis Group (SDOG), Rennes, France
| | - Manfred Schartl
- Department Physiological Chemistry, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Clinic Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Lacerda SMDSN, Costa GMJ, de França LR. Biology and identity of fish spermatogonial stem cell. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2014; 207:56-65. [PMID: 24967950 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2014.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2014] [Revised: 06/11/2014] [Accepted: 06/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Although present at relatively low number in the testis, spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are crucial for the establishment and maintenance of spermatogenesis in eukaryotes and, until recently, those cells were investigated in fish using morphological criteria. The isolation and characterization of these cells in fish have been so far limited by the lack of specific molecular markers, hampering the high SSCs biotechnological potential for aquaculture. However, some highly conserved vertebrate molecular markers, such as Gfra1 and Pou5f1/Oct4, are now available representing important candidates for studies evaluating the regulation of SSCs in fish and even functional investigations using germ cells transplantation. A technique already used to demonstrate that, different from mammals, fish germ stem cells (spermatogonia and oogonia) present high sexual plasticity that is determined by the somatic microenvironment. As relatively well established in mammals, and demonstrated in zebrafish and dogfish, this somatic environment is very important for the preferential location and regulation of SSCs. Importantly, a long-term in vitro culture system for SSCs has been now established for some fish species. Therefore, besides the aforementioned possibilities, such culture system would allow the development of strategies to in vitro investigate key regulatory and functional aspects of germline stem cells (ex: self-renewal and/or differentiation) or to amplify SSCs of rare, endangered, or commercially valuable fish species, representing an important tool for transgenesis and the development of new biotechnologies in fish production.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guilherme Mattos Jardim Costa
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Luiz Renato de França
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 31270-901, Brazil.
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Li M, Zhu F, Hong N, Zhang L, Hong Y. Alternative transcription generates multiple Mitf isoforms with different expression patterns and activities in medaka. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 2013; 27:48-58. [PMID: 24118994 DOI: 10.1111/pcmr.12183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2013] [Accepted: 10/09/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) is best known for distinct functions in multiple cell lineages including melanocytes, mast cells, and osteoclasts. In mammals, mitf produces multiple Mitf isoforms by alternative transcription and splicing. The fish medaka has two mitf genes, mitf1 and mitf2. Here, we report differential expression and activities of medaka Mitf isoforms. Molecular cloning identified four mitf1 variants encoding isoforms Mitf1A, MitfB, MitfH, and MitfM, and only one mitf2RNA encoding Mitf2M, which exhibited differential expression. Mitf1 isoforms and Mitf2M differed dramatically in activating the dazl and tyrosinase promoters DAZ and TYR. Interestingly, Mitf1ΔN, an N-terminus-less Mitf1 mutant form, retained activity to activate TYR but not DAZ. Importantly, Mitf1B was also sufficient for inducing melanocyte differentiation and endogenous tyrosinase RNA expression in medaka embryonic stem cells. Intriguingly, Mitf1 isoforms possessed considerable differences in inducing the expression of multiple cell lineage marker genes. Therefore, alternative mitf transcription is a conserved mechanism from fish to mammals, and medaka Mitf1 isoforms show differences in expression and activity. We conclude that differential expression of isoforms contributes to multiple distinct functions of Mitf in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyou Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
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9
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Santos Nassif Lacerda SM, Costa GMJ, da Silva MDA, Campos-Junior PHA, Segatelli TM, Peixoto MTD, Resende RR, de França LR. Phenotypic characterization and in vitro propagation and transplantation of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) spermatogonial stem cells. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2013; 192:95-106. [PMID: 23792279 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2013.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2013] [Revised: 06/05/2013] [Accepted: 06/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In association with in vitro culture and transplantation, isolation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) is an excellent approach for investigating spermatogonial physiology in vertebrates. However, in fish, the lack of SSC molecular markers represents a great limitation to identify/purify these cells, rendering it difficult to apply several valuable biotechnologies in fish-farming. Herein, we describe potential molecular markers, which served to phenotypically characterize, cultivate and transplant Nile tilapia SSCs. Immunolocalization revealed that Gfra1 is expressed exclusively in single type A undifferentiated spermatogonia (Aund, presumptive SSCs). Likewise, the expression of Nanos2 protein was observed in Aund cells. However, Nanos2-positive spermatogonia have also been identified in cysts with two to eight germ cells that encompass type A differentiated spermatogonia (Adiff). Moreover, we also established effective primary culture conditions that allowed the Nile tilapia spermatogonia to expand their population for at least one month while conserving their original undifferentiated (stemness) characteristics. The maintenance of Aund spermatogonial phenotype was demonstrated by the expression of early germ cell specific markers and, more convincingly, by their ability to colonize and develop in the busulfan-treated adult Nile tilapia recipient testes after germ cell transplantation. In addition to advancing our knowledge on the identity and physiology of fish SSCs, these findings provide the first step in establishing a system that will allow fish SSCs expansion in vitro, representing an important progress towards the development of new biotechnologies in aquaculture, including the possibility of producing transgenic fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samyra Maria Santos Nassif Lacerda
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais 31270-901, Brazil
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10
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Li M, Zhu F, Hong Y. Differential evolution of duplicated medakafish mitf genes. Int J Biol Sci 2013; 9:496-508. [PMID: 23781143 PMCID: PMC3677685 DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.4668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Accepted: 05/08/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene duplication is a major force of evolution. One whole genome duplication (WGD) event in the fish ancestor generated genome-wide duplicates in all modern species. Coloration and patterning on the animal body surface exhibit enormous diversity, representing a mysterious and ideal system for understanding gene evolution. Surface colors and patterns are determined primarily by pigment cells in the skin and eye. Thus, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (Mitf) as a master regulator of melanocyte development is excellent for studying the evolution of WGD-derived gene duplicates. Here we report the evolution of mitf duplicate, mitf1 and mitf2, in the fish medaka (Oryzias latipes), which encode medaka co-homologs Mitf1 and Mitf2 of the mouse Mitf. Compared to mitf1, mitf2 exhibits an accelerated sequence divergence and loses melanocytic expression in embryos at critical developmental stages. Compared to a Xiphophorus counterpart, the medaka Mitf2 displayed a reduced activity in activating melanogenic gene expression by reporter assays and RT-PCR analyses. We show that the medaka Mitf2 has the ability to induce melanocyte differentiation in medaka embryonic stem cells but at a remarkably reduced efficiency compared to the Xiphophorus counterpart. Our data suggest differential evolution of the medaka mitf duplicate, with mitf1 adopting conservation and mitf2 employing degeneration, which is different from the duplication-degeneration-complementation proposed as the mechanism to preserve many gene duplicates in zebrafish. Our finding reveals species-specific variations for mitf duplicate evolution, in agreement with enormous diversity of body coloration and patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyou Li
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
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Froschauer A, Khatun MM, Sprott D, Franz A, Rieger C, Pfennig F, Gutzeit HO. oct4-EGFP reporter gene expression marks the stem cells in embryonic development and in adult gonads of transgenic medaka. Mol Reprod Dev 2012; 80:48-58. [PMID: 23139203 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2012] [Accepted: 10/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Maintenance of pluripotency in stem cells is tightly regulated among vertebrates. One of the key genes in this process is oct4, also referred to as pou5f1 in mammals and pou2 in teleosts. Pou5f1 evolved by duplication of pou2 early in the tetrapod lineage, but only monotremes and marsupials retained both genes. Either pou2 or pou5f1 was lost from the genomes of the other tetrapods that have been analyzed to date. Consequently, these two homologous genes are often designated oct4 in functional studies. In most vertebrates oct4 is expressed in pluripotent cells of the early embryo until the blastula stage, and later persist in germline stem cells until adulthood. The isolation and analysis of stem cells from embryo or adult individuals is hampered by the need for reliable markers that can identify and define the cell populations. Here, we report the faithful expression of EGFP under the control of endogenous pou2/oct4 promoters in transgenic medaka (Oryzias latipes). In vivo imaging in oct4-EGFP transgenic medaka reveals the temporal and spatial expression of pou2 in embryos and adults alike. We describe the temporal and spatial patterns of endogenous pou2 and oct4-EGFP expression in medaka with respect to germline and adult stem cells, and discuss applications of oct4-EGFP transgenic medaka in reproductive and stem cell biology.
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Thoma EC, Wischmeyer E, Offen N, Maurus K, Sirén AL, Schartl M, Wagner TU. Ectopic expression of neurogenin 2 alone is sufficient to induce differentiation of embryonic stem cells into mature neurons. PLoS One 2012; 7:e38651. [PMID: 22719915 PMCID: PMC3374837 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2011] [Accepted: 05/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies show that combinations of defined key developmental transcription factors (TFs) can reprogram somatic cells to pluripotency or induce cell conversion of one somatic cell type to another. However, it is not clear if single genes can define a cell̀s identity and if the cell fate defining potential of TFs is also operative in pluripotent stem cells in vitro. Here, we show that ectopic expression of the neural TF Neurogenin2 (Ngn2) is sufficient to induce rapid and efficient differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into mature glutamatergic neurons. Ngn2-induced neuronal differentiation did not require any additional external or internal factors and occurred even under pluripotency-promoting conditions. Differentiated cells displayed neuron-specific morphology, protein expression, and functional features, most importantly the generation of action potentials and contacts with hippocampal neurons. Gene expression analyses revealed that Ngn2-induced in vitro differentiation partially resembled neurogenesis in vivo, as it included specific activation of Ngn2 target genes and interaction partners. These findings demonstrate that a single gene is sufficient to determine cell fate decisions of uncommitted stem cells thus giving insights into the role of key developmental genes during lineage commitment. Furthermore, we present a promising tool to improve directed differentiation strategies for applications in both stem cell research and regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva C Thoma
- Physiological Chemistry I, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany.
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Thoma EC, Maurus K, Wagner TU, Schartl M. Parallel Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells into Different Cell Types by a Single Gene-Based Differentiation System. Cell Reprogram 2012; 14:106-11. [DOI: 10.1089/cell.2011.0067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eva C. Thoma
- University of Wuerzburg, Physiological Chemistry I, Biocenter, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Katja Maurus
- University of Wuerzburg, Physiological Chemistry I, Biocenter, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Toni U. Wagner
- University of Wuerzburg, Physiological Chemistry I, Biocenter, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Manfred Schartl
- University of Wuerzburg, Physiological Chemistry I, Biocenter, Wuerzburg, Germany
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Zhao H, Li M, Purwanti YI, Liu R, Chen T, Li Z, Hong N, Guan G, Yin A, Xiao L, Ge R, Song J, Hong Y. Mitf is a transcriptional activator of medaka germ genes in culture. Biochimie 2012; 94:759-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2011.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2011] [Accepted: 11/11/2011] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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CrossQuery: a web tool for easy associative querying of transcriptome data. PLoS One 2011; 6:e28990. [PMID: 22174941 PMCID: PMC3236239 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2011] [Accepted: 11/18/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Enormous amounts of data are being generated by modern methods such as transcriptome or exome sequencing and microarray profiling. Primary analyses such as quality control, normalization, statistics and mapping are highly complex and need to be performed by specialists. Thereafter, results are handed back to biomedical researchers, who are then confronted with complicated data lists. For rather simple tasks like data filtering, sorting and cross-association there is a need for new tools which can be used by non-specialists. Here, we describe CrossQuery, a web tool that enables straight forward, simple syntax queries to be executed on transcriptome sequencing and microarray datasets. We provide deep-sequencing data sets of stem cell lines derived from the model fish Medaka and microarray data of human endothelial cells. In the example datasets provided, mRNA expression levels, gene, transcript and sample identification numbers, GO-terms and gene descriptions can be freely correlated, filtered and sorted. Queries can be saved for later reuse and results can be exported to standard formats that allow copy-and-paste to all widespread data visualization tools such as Microsoft Excel. CrossQuery enables researchers to quickly and freely work with transcriptome and microarray data sets requiring only minimal computer skills. Furthermore, CrossQuery allows growing association of multiple datasets as long as at least one common point of correlated information, such as transcript identification numbers or GO-terms, is shared between samples. For advanced users, the object-oriented plug-in and event-driven code design of both server-side and client-side scripts allow easy addition of new features, data sources and data types.
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