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Wilson CA, Batzel P, Postlethwait JH. Direct male development in chromosomally ZZ zebrafish. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1362228. [PMID: 38529407 PMCID: PMC10961373 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1362228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The genetics of sex determination varies across taxa, sometimes even within a species. Major domesticated strains of zebrafish (Danio rerio), including AB and TU, lack a strong genetic sex determining locus, but strains more recently derived from nature, like Nadia (NA), possess a ZZ male/ZW female chromosomal sex-determination system. AB fish pass through a juvenile ovary stage, forming oocytes that survive in fish that become females but die in fish that become males. To understand mechanisms of gonad development in NA zebrafish, we studied histology and single cell transcriptomics in developing ZZ and ZW fish. ZW fish developed oocytes by 22 days post-fertilization (dpf) but ZZ fish directly formed testes, avoiding a juvenile ovary phase. Gonads of some ZW and WW fish, however, developed oocytes that died as the gonad became a testis, mimicking AB fish, suggesting that the gynogenetically derived AB strain is chromosomally WW. Single-cell RNA-seq of 19dpf gonads showed similar cell types in ZZ and ZW fish, including germ cells, precursors of gonadal support cells, steroidogenic cells, interstitial/stromal cells, and immune cells, consistent with a bipotential juvenile gonad. In contrast, scRNA-seq of 30dpf gonads revealed that cells in ZZ gonads had transcriptomes characteristic of testicular Sertoli, Leydig, and germ cells while ZW gonads had granulosa cells, theca cells, and developing oocytes. Hematopoietic and vascular cells were similar in both sex genotypes. These results show that juvenile NA zebrafish initially develop a bipotential gonad; that a factor on the NA W chromosome, or fewer than two Z chromosomes, is essential to initiate oocyte development; and without the W factor, or with two Z doses, NA gonads develop directly into testes without passing through the juvenile ovary stage. Sex determination in AB and TU strains mimics NA ZW and WW zebrafish, suggesting loss of the Z chromosome during domestication. Genetic analysis of the NA strain will facilitate our understanding of the evolution of sex determination mechanisms.
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Wilson CA, Batzel P, Postlethwait JH. Direct Male Development in Chromosomally ZZ Zebrafish. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.27.573483. [PMID: 38234788 PMCID: PMC10793451 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.27.573483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
The genetics of sex determination varies across taxa, sometimes even within a species. Major domesticated strains of zebrafish ( Danio rerio ), including AB and TU, lack a strong genetic sex determining locus, but strains more recently derived from nature, like Nadia (NA), possess a ZZ male/ZW female chromosomal sex-determination system. AB strain fish pass through a juvenile ovary stage, forming oocytes that survive in fish that become females but die in fish that become males. To understand mechanisms of gonad development in NA zebrafish, we studied histology and single cell transcriptomics in developing ZZ and ZW fish. ZW fish developed oocytes by 22 days post-fertilization (dpf) but ZZ fish directly formed testes, avoiding a juvenile ovary phase. Gonads of some ZW and WW fish, however, developed oocytes that died as the gonad became a testis, mimicking AB fish, suggesting that the gynogenetically derived AB strain is chromosomally WW. Single-cell RNA-seq of 19dpf gonads showed similar cell types in ZZ and ZW fish, including germ cells, precursors of gonadal support cells, steroidogenic cells, interstitial/stromal cells, and immune cells, consistent with a bipotential juvenile gonad. In contrast, scRNA-seq of 30dpf gonads revealed that cells in ZZ gonads had transcriptomes characteristic of testicular Sertoli, Leydig, and germ cells while ZW gonads had granulosa cells, theca cells, and developing oocytes. Hematopoietic and vascular cells were similar in both sex genotypes. These results show that juvenile NA zebrafish initially develop a bipotential gonad; that a factor on the NA W chromosome or fewer than two Z chromosomes is essential to initiate oocyte development; and without the W factor or with two Z doses, NA gonads develop directly into testes without passing through the juvenile ovary stage. Sex determination in AB and TU strains mimics NA ZW and WW zebrafish, suggesting loss of the Z chromosome during domestication. Genetic analysis of the NA strain will facilitate our understanding of the evolution of sex determination mechanisms.
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3
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Shan LY, Tian Y, Liu WX, Fan HT, Li FG, Liu WJ, Li A, Shen W, Sun QY, Liu YB, Zhou Y, Zhang T. LSM14B controls oocyte mRNA storage and stability to ensure female fertility. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:247. [PMID: 37578641 PMCID: PMC10425512 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04898-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Controlled mRNA storage and stability is essential for oocyte meiosis and early embryonic development. However, how to regulate mRNA storage and stability in mammalian oogenesis remains elusive. Here we showed that LSM14B, a component of membraneless compartments including P-body-like granules and mitochondria-associated ribonucleoprotein domain (MARDO) in germ cell, is indispensable for female fertility. To reveal loss of LSM14B disrupted primordial follicle assembly and caused mRNA reduction in non-growing oocytes, which was concomitant with the impaired assembly of P-body-like granules. 10× Genomics single-cell RNA-sequencing and immunostaining were performed. Meanwhile, we conducted RNA-seq analysis of GV-stage oocytes and found that Lsm14b deficiency not only impaired the maternal mRNA accumulation but also disrupted the translation in fully grown oocytes, which was closely associated with dissolution of MARDO components. Moreover, Lsm14b-deficient oocytes reassembled a pronucleus containing decondensed chromatin after extrusion of the first polar body, through compromising the activation of maturation promoting factor, while the defects were restored via WEE1/2 inhibitor. Together, our findings reveal that Lsm14b plays a pivotal role in mammalian oogenesis by specifically controlling of oocyte mRNA storage and stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Ying Shan
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock (R2BGL), College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China
| | - Yu Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock (R2BGL), College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China
| | - Wen-Xiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock (R2BGL), College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China
| | - Hai-Tao Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock (R2BGL), College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China
| | - Feng-Guo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock (R2BGL), College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China
| | - Wen-Juan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock (R2BGL), College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China
| | - Ang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock (R2BGL), College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China
- Fertility Preservation Lab, Guangdong-Hong Kong Metabolism & Reproduction Joint Laboratory, Reproductive Medicine Center, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, 510317, China
| | - Wei Shen
- College of Life Sciences, Institute of Reproductive Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, 266109, China
| | - Qing-Yuan Sun
- Fertility Preservation Lab, Guangdong-Hong Kong Metabolism & Reproduction Joint Laboratory, Reproductive Medicine Center, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, Guangzhou, 510317, China
| | - Yong-Bin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock (R2BGL), College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China.
| | - Yang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock (R2BGL), College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China.
| | - Teng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock (R2BGL), College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, 010070, China.
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He M, Jiao S, Zhang R, Ye D, Wang H, Sun Y. Translational control by maternal Nanog promotes oogenesis and early embryonic development. Development 2022; 149:286111. [PMID: 36533583 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Many maternal mRNAs are translationally repressed during oocyte development and spatio-temporally activated during early embryogenesis, which is crucial for oocyte and early embryo development. By analyzing maternal mutants of nanog (Mnanog) in zebrafish, we demonstrated that Nanog tightly controls translation of maternal mRNA during oogenesis via transcriptional repression of eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 alpha 1, like 2 (eef1a1l2). Loss of maternal Nanog led to defects of egg maturation, increased endoplasmic reticulum stress, and an activated unfold protein response, which was caused by elevated translational activity. We further demonstrated that Nanog, as a transcriptional repressor, represses the transcription of eefl1a1l2 by directly binding to the eef1a1l2 promoter in oocytes. More importantly, depletion of eef1a1l2 in nanog mutant females effectively rescued the elevated translational activity in oocytes, oogenesis defects and embryonic defects of Mnanog embryos. Thus, our study demonstrates that maternal Nanog regulates oogenesis and early embryogenesis through translational control of maternal mRNA via a mechanism whereby Nanog acts as a transcriptional repressor to suppress transcription of eef1a1l2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mudan He
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.,College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shengbo Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 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 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 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 430072, China.,College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yonghua Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Innovation Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.,College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.,Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan 430070, China
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Heim A, Niedermeier ML, Stengel F, Mayer TU. The translation regulator Zar1l controls timing of meiosis in Xenopus oocytes. Development 2022; 149:278465. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.200900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Oocyte maturation and early embryo development occur in vertebrates in the near absence of transcription. Thus, sexual reproduction of vertebrates critically depends on the timely translation of mRNAs already stockpiled in the oocyte. Yet how translational activation of specific mRNAs is temporally coordinated is still incompletely understood. Here, we elucidate the function of Zar1l, a yet uncharacterized member of the Zar RNA-binding protein family, in Xenopus oocytes. Employing TRIM-Away, we demonstrate that loss of Zar1l accelerates hormone-induced meiotic resumption of Xenopus oocytes due to premature accumulation of the M-phase-promoting kinase cMos. We show that Zar1l is a constituent of a large ribonucleoparticle containing the translation repressor 4E-T and the central polyadenylation regulator CPEB1, and that it binds directly to the cMos mRNA. Partial, hormone-induced degradation of Zar1l liberates 4E-T from CPEB1, which weakens translational repression of mRNAs encoding cMos and likely additional M-phase-promoting factors. Thus, our study provides fundamental insights into the mechanisms that ensure temporally regulated translation of key cell cycle regulators during oocyte maturation, which is essential for sexual reproductivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Heim
- University of Konstanz 1 Department of Biology , , 78457 Konstanz , Germany
| | - Marie L. Niedermeier
- University of Konstanz 1 Department of Biology , , 78457 Konstanz , Germany
- Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology, University of Konstanz 2 , 78457 Konstanz , Germany
| | - Florian Stengel
- University of Konstanz 1 Department of Biology , , 78457 Konstanz , Germany
- Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology, University of Konstanz 2 , 78457 Konstanz , Germany
| | - Thomas U. Mayer
- University of Konstanz 1 Department of Biology , , 78457 Konstanz , Germany
- Konstanz Research School Chemical Biology, University of Konstanz 2 , 78457 Konstanz , Germany
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6
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Zhi F, Jiang DN, Mustapha UF, Li SX, Shi HJ, Li GL, Zhu CH. Expression and regulation of 42Sp50 in spotted scat (Scatophagus argus). Front Genet 2022; 13:964150. [PMID: 36035129 PMCID: PMC9403048 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.964150] [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: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
42Sp50 is an isoform of the eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 A (eEF1A) and is vital for fish ovarian development. Spotted scat (Scatophagus argus) is a popular marine cultured fish species in Southern Asia and China, and its artificial reproduction is complicated, with a relatively low success ratio in practice. In this study, the 42Sp50 gene was cloned from spotted scat. Tissue distribution analysis showed that 42Sp50 was mainly expressed in the ovary. qRT-PCR showed that 42Sp50 expression levels gradually decreased insignificantly in the ovaries from phase II to IV. Western blot analysis showed that 42Sp50 was highly expressed in the ovary, while it was almost undetectable in the testis. Immunohistochemistry analysis stained 42Sp50 mainly in the cytoplasm of the previtellogenic oocytes in ovaries of normal XX-female and sex-reversed XY-female. Aside from fish and amphibians, 42Sp50 was also identified in some reptile species using genomic database searching. Analyses of the transcriptome data from four different fish species (Hainan medaka (Oryzias curvinotus), silver sillago (Sillago sihama), Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), and Hong Kong catfish (Clarias fuscus)) revealed ovaries biased expression of 42Sp50 in all, similar to spotted scat. While the neighbor genes of 42Sp50 did not show ovary biased expression in the fish species analyzed. Bisulfite Sequencing PCR (BSP) results showed that the DNA methylation level of 42Sp50 promoter was low in ovaries, testes, and muscles. The luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that Dmrt4 activated 42Sp50 expression in the presence of Sf1 or Foxh1. These results suggest that 42Sp50 may be involved in regulating the early phase oocytes development of spotted scat.
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7
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Bogoch Y, Jamieson-Lucy A, Vejnar CE, Levy K, Giraldez AJ, Mullins MC, Elkouby YM. Stage Specific Transcriptomic Analysis and Database for Zebrafish Oogenesis. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:826892. [PMID: 35733854 PMCID: PMC9207522 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.826892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Oogenesis produces functional eggs and is essential for fertility, embryonic development, and reproduction. The zebrafish ovary is an excellent model to study oogenesis in vertebrates, and recent studies have identified multiple regulators in oocyte development through forward genetic screens, as well as reverse genetics by CRISPR mutagenesis. However, many developmental steps in oogenesis, in zebrafish and other species, remain poorly understood, and their underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we take a genomic approach to systematically uncover biological activities throughout oogenesis. We performed transcriptomic analysis on five stages of oogenesis, from the onset of oocyte differentiation through Stage III, which precedes oocyte maturation. These transcriptomes revealed thousands of differentially expressed genes across stages of oogenesis. We analyzed trends of gene expression dynamics along oogenesis, as well as their expression in pair-wise comparisons between stages. We determined their functionally enriched terms, identifying uniquely characteristic biological activities in each stage. These data identified two prominent developmental phases in oocyte differentiation and traced the accumulation of maternally deposited embryonic regulator transcripts in the developing oocyte. Our analysis provides the first molecular description for oogenesis in zebrafish, which we deposit online as a resource for the community. Further, the presence of multiple gene paralogs in zebrafish, and the exclusive curation by many bioinformatic tools of the single paralogs present in humans, challenge zebrafish genomic analyses. We offer an approach for converting zebrafish gene name nomenclature to the human nomenclature for supporting genomic analyses generally in zebrafish. Altogether, our work provides a valuable resource as a first step to uncover oogenesis mechanisms and candidate regulators and track accumulating transcripts of maternal regulators of embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoel Bogoch
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
- Institute for Biomedical Research, Israel-Canada, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Allison Jamieson-Lucy
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | | | - Karine Levy
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
- Institute for Biomedical Research, Israel-Canada, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Mary C. Mullins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Yaniv M. Elkouby
- Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel
- Institute for Biomedical Research, Israel-Canada, Jerusalem, Israel
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8
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Horiuchi M, Hagihara S, Kume M, Chushi D, Hasegawa Y, Itakura H, Yamashita Y, Adachi S, Ijiri S. Morphological and Molecular Gonadal Sex Differentiation in the Wild Japanese eel Anguilla japonica. Cells 2022; 11:cells11091554. [PMID: 35563858 PMCID: PMC9105286 DOI: 10.3390/cells11091554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Most cultured Japanese eels (Anguilla japonica) show male sex differentiation; however, natural gonadal sex differentiation has not been evaluated. In this study, this process was characterized in wild eels. Differentiated ovaries and testes were observed after the eels grew to 320 and 300 mm in total length, respectively. The youngest ovary and testis appeared at 3 and 4 years old, respectively; however, undifferentiated gonads were found up to 7 years, suggesting that sex differentiation was triggered by growth rather than aging. gsdf, amh, foxl2b and foxl3b were highly expressed in the testes, whereas figla, sox3, foxn5, zar1, and zp3 were highly expressed in the ovaries. The expression of cyp19a1a and foxl2a did not differ significantly between the testis and ovary. In the ovaries, the cyp19a1a and foxl2a levels were highest in the early stages, suggesting that their function is limited to early ovarian differentiation. The foxn5, zar1 and zp3 levels tended to increase in the later stages, suggesting that they function after the initiation of ovarian differentiation. In undifferentiated gonads, dimorphic gene expression was not observed, suggesting that the molecular sex differentiation phase is short and difficult to detect. These findings provide the first demonstration of the whole course of natural gonadal sex differentiation in eels at molecular and morphological levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moemi Horiuchi
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate 041-8611, Hokkaido, Japan; (M.H.); (D.C.); (Y.H.); (S.A.)
| | - Seishi Hagihara
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8564, Chiba, Japan; (S.H.); (H.I.)
| | - Manabu Kume
- Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Kyoto, Japan; (M.K.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Daichi Chushi
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate 041-8611, Hokkaido, Japan; (M.H.); (D.C.); (Y.H.); (S.A.)
| | - Yuya Hasegawa
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate 041-8611, Hokkaido, Japan; (M.H.); (D.C.); (Y.H.); (S.A.)
| | - Hikaru Itakura
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8564, Chiba, Japan; (S.H.); (H.I.)
| | - Yoh Yamashita
- Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Kyoto, Japan; (M.K.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Shinji Adachi
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate 041-8611, Hokkaido, Japan; (M.H.); (D.C.); (Y.H.); (S.A.)
| | - Shigeho Ijiri
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hakodate 041-8611, Hokkaido, Japan; (M.H.); (D.C.); (Y.H.); (S.A.)
- Correspondence:
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9
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Aharon D, Marlow FL. Sexual determination in zebrafish. Cell Mol Life Sci 2021; 79:8. [PMID: 34936027 PMCID: PMC11072476 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-021-04066-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Zebrafish have emerged as a major model organism to study vertebrate reproduction due to their high fecundity and external development of eggs and embryos. The mechanisms through which zebrafish determine their sex have come under extensive investigation, as they lack a definite sex-determining chromosome and appear to have a highly complex method of sex determination. Single-gene mutagenesis has been employed to isolate the function of genes that determine zebrafish sex and regulate sex-specific differentiation, and to explore the interactions of genes that promote female or male sexual fate. In this review, we focus on recent advances in understanding of the mechanisms, including genetic and environmental factors, governing zebrafish sex development with comparisons to gene functions in other species to highlight conserved and potentially species-specific mechanisms for specifying and maintaining sexual fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devora Aharon
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy, Place Box 1020, New York, NY, 10029-6574, USA
| | - Florence L Marlow
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Regenerative Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy, Place Box 1020, New York, NY, 10029-6574, USA.
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10
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Vong YH, Sivashanmugam L, Leech R, Zaucker A, Jones A, Sampath K. The RNA-binding protein Igf2bp3 is critical for embryonic and germline development in zebrafish. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1009667. [PMID: 34214072 PMCID: PMC8282044 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1009667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to reproduce is essential in all branches of life. In metazoans, this process is initiated by formation of the germline, a group of cells that are destined to form the future gonads, the tissue that will produce the gametes. The molecular mechanisms underlying germline formation differs between species. In zebrafish, development of the germline is dependent on the specification, migration and proliferation of progenitors called the primordial germ cells (PGCs). PGC specification is dependent on a maternally provided cytoplasmic complex of ribonucleoproteins (RNPs), the germplasm. Here, we show that the conserved RNA-binding protein (RBP), Igf2bp3, has an essential role during early embryonic development and germline development. Loss of Igf2bp3 leads to an expanded yolk syncytial layer (YSL) in early embryos, reduced germline RNA expression, and mis-regulated germline development. We show that loss of maternal Igf2bp3 function results in translational de-regulation of a Nodal reporter during the mid-blastula transition. Furthermore, maternal igf2bp3 mutants exhibit reduced expression of germplasm transcripts, defects in chemokine guidance, abnormal PGC behavior and germ cell death. Consistently, adult igf2bp3 mutants show a strong male bias. Our findings suggest that Igf2bp3 is essential for normal embryonic and germline development, and acts as a key regulator of sexual development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Ho Vong
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Lavanya Sivashanmugam
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca Leech
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Andreas Zaucker
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Alex Jones
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Karuna Sampath
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
- Centre for Early Life, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
- Centre for Mechanochemical Cell Biology, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
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11
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Dong Z, Li X, Yao Z, Wang C, Guo Y, Wang Q, Shao C, Wang Z. Oryzias curvinotus in Sanya Does Not Contain the Male Sex-Determining Gene dmy. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11051327. [PMID: 34066583 PMCID: PMC8148570 DOI: 10.3390/ani11051327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 04/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Hainan medaka (Oryzias curvinotus) is distributed in the coastal waters of the South China Sea and is able to adapt to a wide range of salinities. In this study, we characterized O. curvinotus in Sanya River (SY-medaka), which lacks dmy (a male sex-determining gene in O. latipes and O. curvinotus). In a comparison of SY-medaka and Gaoqiao medaka (GQ-medaka), the morphological difference between the two populations does not reach the subspecies level and they can be considered two geographic populations of O. curvinotus. A mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (CoI) sequence alignment showed that the sequence identities between SY-medaka and other geographic populations of O. curvinotus are as high as 95%. A phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial genome also indicated that SY-medaka belongs to O. curvinotus. Molecular marker-based genetic sex assays and whole genome re-sequencing showed that SY-medaka does not contain dmy. Further, in RNA-Seq analyses of the testis and ovaries of sexually mature SY-medaka, dmy expression was not detected. We speculate that high temperatures resulted in the loss of dmy in SY-medaka during evolution, or the lineage has another sex-determining gene. This study provides a valuable dataset for elucidating the mechanism underlying sex determination in Oryzias genus and advances research on functional genomics or reproduction biology in O. curvinotus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongdian Dong
- Guangdong South China Sea Key Laboratory of Aquaculture for Aquatic Economic Animals, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China; (X.L.); (Z.Y.); (C.W.); (Y.G.)
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Mariculture Organism Breeding, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology and Epidemiology for Aquatic Economic Animals, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China
- Correspondence: (Z.D.); (Z.W.)
| | - Xueyou Li
- Guangdong South China Sea Key Laboratory of Aquaculture for Aquatic Economic Animals, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China; (X.L.); (Z.Y.); (C.W.); (Y.G.)
| | - Zebin Yao
- Guangdong South China Sea Key Laboratory of Aquaculture for Aquatic Economic Animals, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China; (X.L.); (Z.Y.); (C.W.); (Y.G.)
| | - Chun Wang
- Guangdong South China Sea Key Laboratory of Aquaculture for Aquatic Economic Animals, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China; (X.L.); (Z.Y.); (C.W.); (Y.G.)
| | - Yusong Guo
- Guangdong South China Sea Key Laboratory of Aquaculture for Aquatic Economic Animals, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China; (X.L.); (Z.Y.); (C.W.); (Y.G.)
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Mariculture Organism Breeding, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology and Epidemiology for Aquatic Economic Animals, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China
| | - Qian Wang
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; (Q.W.); (C.S.)
| | - Changwei Shao
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fisheries Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China; (Q.W.); (C.S.)
| | - Zhongduo Wang
- Guangdong South China Sea Key Laboratory of Aquaculture for Aquatic Economic Animals, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China; (X.L.); (Z.Y.); (C.W.); (Y.G.)
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Mariculture Organism Breeding, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Biology and Epidemiology for Aquatic Economic Animals, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China
- State Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University School, Changsha 410081, China
- Correspondence: (Z.D.); (Z.W.)
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12
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Cellular fate of intersex differentiation. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:388. [PMID: 33846307 PMCID: PMC8041806 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-021-03676-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Infertile ovotestis (mixture of ovary and testis) often occurs in intersex individuals under certain pathological and physiological conditions. However, how ovotestis is formed remains largely unknown. Here, we report the first comprehensive single-cell developmental atlas of the model ovotestis. We provide an overview of cell identities and a roadmap of germline, niche, and stem cell development in ovotestis by cell lineage reconstruction and a uniform manifold approximation and projection. We identify common progenitors of germline stem cells with two states, which reveal their bipotential nature to differentiate into both spermatogonial stem cells and female germline stem cells. Moreover, we found that ovotestis infertility was caused by degradation of female germline cells via liquid-liquid phase separation of the proteasomes in the nucleus, and impaired histone-to-protamine replacement in spermatid differentiation. Notably, signaling pathways in gonadal niche cells and their interaction with germlines synergistically determined distinct cell fate of both male and female germlines. Overall, we reveal a cellular fate map of germline and niche cell development that shapes cell differentiation direction of ovotestis, and provide novel insights into ovotestis development.
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13
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Bertho S, Clapp M, Banisch TU, Bandemer J, Raz E, Marlow FL. Zebrafish dazl regulates cystogenesis and germline stem cell specification during the primordial germ cell to germline stem cell transition. Development 2021; 148:dev187773. [PMID: 33722898 PMCID: PMC8077517 DOI: 10.1242/dev.187773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Fertility and gamete reserves are maintained by asymmetric divisions of the germline stem cells to produce new stem cells or daughters that differentiate as gametes. Before entering meiosis, differentiating germ cells (GCs) of sexual animals typically undergo cystogenesis. This evolutionarily conserved process involves synchronous and incomplete mitotic divisions of a GC daughter (cystoblast) to generate sister cells connected by intercellular bridges that facilitate the exchange of materials to support rapid expansion of the gamete progenitor population. Here, we investigated cystogenesis in zebrafish and found that early GCs are connected by ring canals, and show that Deleted in azoospermia-like (Dazl), a conserved vertebrate RNA-binding protein (Rbp), is a regulator of this process. Analysis of dazl mutants revealed the essential role of Dazl in regulating incomplete cytokinesis, germline cyst formation and germline stem cell specification before the meiotic transition. Accordingly, dazl mutant GCs form defective ring canals, and ultimately remain as individual cells that fail to differentiate as meiocytes. In addition to promoting cystoblast divisions and meiotic entry, dazl is required for germline stem cell establishment and fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain Bertho
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1020 New York, NY 10029-6574, USA
| | - Mara Clapp
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Torsten U. Banisch
- Institute of Cell Biology Center for Molecular Biology of Inflammation, Von-Esmarch-Str. 56, D-48149 Muenster, Germany
- New York University School of Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, New York, NY 10012, USA
| | - Jan Bandemer
- Institute of Cell Biology Center for Molecular Biology of Inflammation, Von-Esmarch-Str. 56, D-48149 Muenster, Germany
| | - Erez Raz
- Institute of Cell Biology Center for Molecular Biology of Inflammation, Von-Esmarch-Str. 56, D-48149 Muenster, Germany
| | - Florence L. Marlow
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place Box 1020 New York, NY 10029-6574, USA
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
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14
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Pan Z, Zhu C, Chang G, Wu N, Ding H, Wang H. Differential expression analysis and identification of sex-related genes by gonad transcriptome sequencing in estradiol-treated and non-treated Ussuri catfish Pseudobagrus ussuriensis. FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2021; 47:565-581. [PMID: 33523351 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-021-00932-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Ussuri catfish (Pseudobagrus ussuriensis) has an XX/XY sex determination system but its sex determination gene(s) remain unknown. To better understand the molecular sex determination mechanism, transcriptome analysis was conducted to obtain sex-related gene expression profiles. Transcriptome analyses were made of male and female developing/differentiating gonads by high-throughput RNA sequencing, including gonads from fish given an estradiol-induced sex reversal treatment. A total of 81,569 unigenes were assembled and 39,904 were significantly matched to known unique proteins by comparison with public databases. Twenty specifically expressed and 142 differentially expressed sex-related genes were extracted from annotated data by comparing the treatment groups. These genes are involved in spermatogenesis (e.g., Dnali1, nectin3, klhl10, mybl1, Katnal1, Eno4, Mns1, Spag6, Tsga10, Septin7), oogenesis (e.g., Lagr5, Fmn2, Npm2, zar1, Fbxo5, Fbxo43, Prdx4, Nrip1, Lfng, Atrip), gonadal development/differentiation (e.g., Cxcr4b, Hmgb2, Cftr, Ch25h, brip1, Prdm9, Tdrd1, Star, dmrt1, Tut4, Hsd17b12a, gdf9, dnd, arf1, Spata22), and estradiol response (e.g., Mmp14, Lhcgr, vtg1, vtg2, esr2b, Piwil1, Aifm1, Hsf1, gdf9). Dmrt1 and gdf9 may play an essential role in sex determination in P. ussuriensis. The expression patterns of six random genes were validated by quantitative real-time PCR, which confirmed the reliability and accuracy of the RNA-seq results. These data provide a valuable resource for future studies of gene expression and for understanding the molecular mechanism of sex determination/differentiation and gonadal development/differentiation (including hormone-induced sexual reversal) in Ussuri catfish. This has the potential to assist in producing monosex Ussuri catfish to increase aquacultural productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- ZhengJun Pan
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Breeding of Special Aquatic Organisms, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian, 223300, China.
| | - ChuanKun Zhu
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Breeding of Special Aquatic Organisms, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian, 223300, China
| | - GuoLiang Chang
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Breeding of Special Aquatic Organisms, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian, 223300, China
| | - Nan Wu
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Breeding of Special Aquatic Organisms, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian, 223300, China
| | - HuaiYu Ding
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Breeding of Special Aquatic Organisms, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian, 223300, China
| | - Hui Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Breeding of Special Aquatic Organisms, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian, 223300, China
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15
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Yan YL, Titus T, Desvignes T, BreMiller R, Batzel P, Sydes J, Farnsworth D, Dillon D, Wegner J, Phillips JB, Peirce J, Dowd J, Buck CL, Miller A, Westerfield M, Postlethwait JH. A fish with no sex: gonadal and adrenal functions partition between zebrafish NR5A1 co-orthologs. Genetics 2021; 217:iyaa030. [PMID: 33724412 PMCID: PMC8045690 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyaa030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
People with NR5A1 mutations experience testicular dysgenesis, ovotestes, or adrenal insufficiency, but we do not completely understand the origin of this phenotypic diversity. NR5A1 is expressed in gonadal soma precursor cells before expression of the sex-determining gene SRY. Many fish have two co-orthologs of NR5A1 that likely partitioned ancestral gene subfunctions between them. To explore ancestral roles of NR5A1, we knocked out nr5a1a and nr5a1b in zebrafish. Single-cell RNA-seq identified nr5a1a-expressing cells that co-expressed genes for steroid biosynthesis and the chemokine receptor Cxcl12a in 1-day postfertilization (dpf) embryos, as does the mammalian adrenal-gonadal (interrenal-gonadal) primordium. In 2dpf embryos, nr5a1a was expressed stronger in the interrenal-gonadal primordium than in the early hypothalamus but nr5a1b showed the reverse. Adult Leydig cells expressed both ohnologs and granulosa cells expressed nr5a1a stronger than nr5a1b. Mutants for nr5a1a lacked the interrenal, formed incompletely differentiated testes, had no Leydig cells, and grew far larger than normal fish. Mutants for nr5a1b formed a disorganized interrenal and their gonads completely disappeared. All homozygous mutant genotypes lacked secondary sex characteristics, including male breeding tubercles and female sex papillae, and had exceedingly low levels of estradiol, 11-ketotestosterone, and cortisol. RNA-seq showed that at 21dpf, some animals were developing as females and others were not, independent of nr5a1 genotype. By 35dpf, all mutant genotypes greatly under-expressed ovary-biased genes. Because adult nr5a1a mutants form gonads but lack an interrenal and conversely, adult nr5a1b mutants lack a gonad but have an interrenal, the adrenal, and gonadal functions of the ancestral nr5a1 gene partitioned between ohnologs after the teleost genome duplication, likely owing to reciprocal loss of ancestral tissue-specific regulatory elements. Identifying such elements could provide hints to otherwise unexplained cases of Differences in Sex Development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Lin Yan
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Tom Titus
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Thomas Desvignes
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Ruth BreMiller
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Peter Batzel
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Jason Sydes
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Dylan Farnsworth
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Danielle Dillon
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Jeremy Wegner
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | | | - Judy Peirce
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - John Dowd
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | | | - Charles Loren Buck
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Adam Miller
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Monte Westerfield
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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16
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King AC, Gut M, Zenker AK. Shedding new light on early sex determination in zebrafish. Arch Toxicol 2020; 94:4143-4158. [PMID: 32975586 PMCID: PMC7655572 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-020-02915-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
In contrast to established zebrafish gene annotations, the question of sex determination has still not been conclusively clarified for developing zebrafish, Danio rerio, larvae, 28 dpf or earlier. Recent studies indicate polygenic sex determination (PSD), with the genes being distributed throughout the genome. Early genetic markers of sex in zebrafish help unravel co-founding sex-related differences to apply to human health and environmental toxicity studies. A qPCR-based method was developed for six genes: cytochrome P450, family 17, subfamily A, polypeptide 1 (cyp17a1); cytochrome P450, family 19, subfamily A, polypeptide 1a (cyp19a1a); cytochrome P450, family 19, subfamily A, polypeptides 1b (cyp19a1b); vitellogenin 1 (vtg1); nuclear receptor subfamily 0, group B, member 1 (nr0b1), sry (sex-determining region Y)-box 9b (sox9b) and actin, beta 1 (actb1), the reference gene. Sry-box 9a (Sox9a), insulin-like growth factor 3 (igf3) and double sex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1 (dmrt1), which are also known to be associated with sex determination, were used in gene expression tests. Additionally, Next-Generation-Sequencing (NGS) sequenced the genome of two adult female and male and two juveniles. PCR analysis of adult zebrafish revealed sex-specific expression of cyp17a1, cyp19a1a, vtg1, igf3 and dmrt1, the first four strongly expressed in female zebrafish and the last one highly expressed in male conspecifics. From NGS, nine female and four male-fated genes were selected as novel for assessing zebrafish sex, 28 dpf. Differences in transcriptomes allowed allocation of sex-specific genes also expressed in juvenile zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex C King
- FHNW, University of Applied Sciences and Arts North-Western Switzerland, School of Life Sciences, Institute for Ecopreneurship, Hofackerstrasse 30, 4132, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Michelle Gut
- FHNW, University of Applied Sciences and Arts North-Western Switzerland, School of Life Sciences, Institute for Ecopreneurship, Hofackerstrasse 30, 4132, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | - Armin K Zenker
- FHNW, University of Applied Sciences and Arts North-Western Switzerland, School of Life Sciences, Institute for Ecopreneurship, Hofackerstrasse 30, 4132, Muttenz, Switzerland.
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17
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Sha QQ, Zhang J, Fan HY. A story of birth and death: mRNA translation and clearance at the onset of maternal-to-zygotic transition in mammals†. Biol Reprod 2020; 101:579-590. [PMID: 30715134 DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioz012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammals, maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT), or oocyte-to-embryo transition, begins with oocyte meiotic resumption due to the sequential translational activation and destabilization of dormant maternal transcripts stored in the ooplasm. It then continues with the elimination of maternal transcripts during oocyte maturation and fertilization and ends with the full transcriptional activation of the zygotic genome during embryonic development. A hallmark of MZT in mammals is its reliance on translation and the utilization of stored RNAs and proteins, rather than de novo transcription of genes, to sustain meiotic maturation and early development. Impaired maternal mRNA clearance at the onset of MZT prevents zygotic genome activation and causes early arrest of developing embryos. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our knowledge of the mechanisms whereby mRNA translation and degradation are controlled by cytoplasmic polyadenylation and deadenylation which set up the competence of maturing oocyte to accomplish MZT. The emphasis of this review is on the mouse as a model organism for mammals and BTG4 as a licensing factor of MZT under the translational control of the MAPK cascade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian-Qian Sha
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jue Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Heng-Yu Fan
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Reproductive Dysfunction Management of Zhejiang Province; Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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18
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Deutschmeyer VE, Richter AM. The ZAR1 protein in cancer; from epigenetic silencing to functional characterisation and epigenetic therapy of tumour suppressors. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2020; 1874:188417. [PMID: 32828887 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2020.188417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
ZAR1, zygote arrest 1, is a zinc finger protein (C-terminus), which was initially identified in mouse oocytes. Later it was found that its expression is present in various human tissues e.g. lung and kidney. Interestingly, it was observed that in various tumour types the ZAR1 transcript is missing due to hypermethylation of its CpG island promoter, but not ZAR2. Since methylation of the ZAR1 promoter is described as a frequent event in tumourigenesis, ZAR1 could serve as a useful diagnostic marker in cancer screens. ZAR1 was described as a useful prognostic/diagnostic cancer marker for lung cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma and possibly liver carcinoma. Furthermore, ZAR1 was reactivated as a tumour suppressor by epigenetic therapy using CRISPR-dCas9 method. This method holds the potential to precisely target not only ZAR1 and reactivate tumour suppressors in a tailored cancer therapy. ZAR1 is highly conserved amongst vertebrates, especially its zinc finger, which is the relevant domain for its protein and RNA binding ability. ZAR1 is implicated in various cellular mechanisms including regulation of oocyte/embryo development, cell cycle control and mRNA binding, though little was known about the underlying mechanisms. ZAR1 was reported to regulate and activate translation through the binding to TCS translation control sequences in the 3'UTRs of its target mRNA the kinase WEE1. ZAR1 has a tumour suppressing function by inhibiting cell cycle progression. Here we review the current literature on ZAR1 focusing on structural, functional and epigenetic aspects. Characterising the cellular mechanisms that regulate the signalling pathways ZAR1 is involved in, could lead to a deeper understanding of tumour development and, furthermore, to new strategies in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antje M Richter
- Institute for Genetics, University of Giessen, 35392 Giessen, Germany; Max-Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, 61231, Bad Nauheim, Germany.
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19
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Bai D, Sun J, Jia Y, Yin J, Zhang Y, Li Y, Gao R, Du X, Li K, Lin J, Tu Z, Wang Y, Pan J, Liang S, Guo Y, Ruan J, Kou X, Zhao Y, Wang H, Jiang C, Wang F, Teng X, Liu W, Gao S. Genome transfer for the prevention of female infertility caused by maternal gene mutation. J Genet Genomics 2020; 47:311-319. [PMID: 32893179 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Poor oocyte quality is associated with early embryo developmental arrest and infertility. Maternal gene plays crucial roles in the regulation of oocyte maturation, and its mutation is a common cause of female infertility. However, how to improve oocyte quality and develop effective therapy for maternal gene mutation remains elusive. Here, we use Zar1 as an example to assess the feasibility of genome transfer to cure maternal gene mutation-caused female infertility. We first discover that cytoplasmic deficiency primarily leads to Zar1-null embryo developmental arrest by disturbing maternal transcript degradation and minor zygotic genome activation (ZGA) during the maternal-zygotic transition. We next perform genome transfer at the oocyte (spindle transfer or polar body transfer) and zygote (early pronuclear transfer or late pronuclear transfer) stages to validate the feasibility of preventing Zar1 mutation-caused infertility. We finally demonstrate that genome transfer either at the oocyte or at the early pronuclear stage can support normal preimplantation embryo development and produce live offspring. Moreover, those pups grow to adulthood and show normal fertility. Therefore, our findings provide an effective basis of therapies for the treatment of female infertility caused by maternal gene mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Bai
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jin Sun
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yanping Jia
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jiqing Yin
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yalin Zhang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yanhe Li
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Rui Gao
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Xiling Du
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Kunming Li
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jiaming Lin
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Zhifen Tu
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jiaping Pan
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Shanshan Liang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yi Guo
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jingling Ruan
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Xiaochen Kou
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yanhong Zhao
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Cizhong Jiang
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Fengchao Wang
- National Institute of Biological Sciences, NIBS, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xiaoming Teng
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
| | - Wenqiang Liu
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
| | - Shaorong Gao
- Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
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Rong Y, Ji SY, Zhu YZ, Wu YW, Shen L, Fan HY. ZAR1 and ZAR2 are required for oocyte meiotic maturation by regulating the maternal transcriptome and mRNA translational activation. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 47:11387-11402. [PMID: 31598710 PMCID: PMC6868374 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 10/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Zar1 was one of the earliest mammalian maternal-effect genes to be identified. Embryos derived from Zar1-null female mice are blocked before zygotic genome activation; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. By knocking out Zar1 and its homolog Zar2 in mice, we revealed a novel function of these genes in oocyte meiotic maturation. Zar1/2-deleted oocytes displayed delayed meiotic resumption and polar body-1 emission and a higher incidence of abnormal meiotic spindle formation and chromosome aneuploidy. The grown oocytes of Zar1/2-null mice contained decreased levels of many maternal mRNAs and displayed a reduced level of protein synthesis. Key maturation-associated changes failed to occur in the Zar1/2-null oocytes, including the translational activation of maternal mRNAs encoding the cell-cycle proteins cyclin B1 and WEE2, as well as maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) licensing factor BTG4. Consequently, maternal mRNA decay was impaired and MZT was abolished. ZAR1/2 bound mRNAs to regulate the translational activity of their 3′-UTRs and interacted with other oocyte proteins, including mRNA-stabilizing protein MSY2 and cytoplasmic lattice components. These results countered the traditional view that ZAR1 only functions after fertilization and highlight a previously unrecognized role of ZAR1/2 in regulating the maternal transcriptome and translational activation in maturing oocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Rong
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shu-Yan Ji
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Ye-Zhang Zhu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yun-Wen Wu
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Li Shen
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Heng-Yu Fan
- MOE Key Laboratory for Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Innovation Center for Cell Signaling Network, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.,Key Laboratory of Reproductive Dysfunction Management of Zhejiang Province, Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310016, China
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21
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Li J, Ge W. Zebrafish as a model for studying ovarian development: Recent advances from targeted gene knockout studies. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 507:110778. [PMID: 32142861 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Ovarian development is a complex process controlled by precise coordination of multiple factors. The targeted gene knockout technique is a powerful tool to study the functions of these factors. The successful application of this technique in mice in the past three decades has significantly enhanced our understanding on the molecular mechanism of ovarian development. Recently, with the advent of genome editing techniques, targeted gene knockout research can be carried out in many species. Zebrafish has emerged as an excellent model system to study the control of ovarian development. Dozens of genes related to ovarian development have been knocked out in zebrafish in recent years. Much new information and perspectives on the molecular mechanism of ovarian development have been obtained from these mutant zebrafish. Some findings have challenged conventional views. Several genes have been identified for the first time in vertebrates to control ovarian development. Focusing on ovarian development, the purpose of this review is to briefly summarize recent findings using these gene knockout zebrafish models, and compare these findings with mammalian models. These established mutants and rapid development of gene knockout techniques have prompted zebrafish as an ideal animal model for studying ovarian development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianzhen Li
- College of Life Sciences, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China, 730070.
| | - Wei Ge
- Centre of Reproduction, Development and Aging (CRDA), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, China.
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22
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He FX, Jiang DN, Huang YQ, Mustapha UF, Yang W, Cui XF, Tian CX, Chen HP, Shi HJ, Deng SP, Li GL, Zhu CH. Comparative transcriptome analysis of male and female gonads reveals sex-biased genes in spotted scat (Scatophagus argus). FISH PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY 2019; 45:1963-1980. [PMID: 31399918 DOI: 10.1007/s10695-019-00693-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Scatophagus argus is a new emerging aquaculture fish in East and Southeast Asia. To date, research on reproductive development and regulation in S. argus is lacking. Additionally, genetic and genomic information about reproduction, such as gonadal transcriptome data, is also lacking. Herein, we report the first gonadal transcriptomes of S. argus and identify genes potentially involved in reproduction and gonadal development. A total of 136,561 unigenes were obtained by sequencing of testes (n = 3) and ovaries (n = 3) at stage III. Genes upregulated in males and females known to be involved in gonadal development and gametogenesis were identified, including male-biased dmrt1, amh, gsdf, wt1a, sox9b, and nanos2, and female-biased foxl2, gdf9, bmp15, sox3, zar1, and figla. Serum estradiol-17β and 11-ketotestosterone levels were biased in female and male fish, respectively. Sexual dimorphism of serum steroid hormone levels were interpreted after expression analysis of 20 steroidogenesis-related genes, including cyp19a1a and cyp11b2. This gonadal transcript dataset will help investigate functional genes related to reproduction in S. argus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei-Xiang He
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Dong-Neng Jiang
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Yuan-Qing Huang
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Umar Farouk Mustapha
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Wei Yang
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Xue-Fan Cui
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Chang-Xu Tian
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Hua-Pu Chen
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Hong-Juan Shi
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Si-Ping Deng
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Guang-Li Li
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China
| | - Chun-Hua Zhu
- Guangdong Research Center on Reproductive Control and Breeding Technology of Indigenous Valuable Fish Species, Key Laboratory of Aquaculture in South China Sea for Aquatic Economic Animal of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Fisheries College, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang, 524088, China.
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23
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Zhu J, Zhang D, Liu X, Yu G, Cai X, Xu C, Rong F, Ouyang G, Wang J, Xiao W. Zebrafish prmt5 arginine methyltransferase is essential for germ cell development. Development 2019; 146:dev.179572. [PMID: 31533925 DOI: 10.1242/dev.179572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (Prmt5), a type II arginine methyltransferase, symmetrically dimethylates arginine in nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. Prmt5 is involved in a variety of cellular processes, including ribosome biogenesis, cellular differentiation, germ cell development and tumorigenesis. However, the mechanisms by which prmt5 influences cellular processes have remained unclear. Here, prmt5 loss in zebrafish led to the expression of an infertile male phenotype due to a reduction in germ cell number, an increase in germ cell apoptosis and the failure of gonads to differentiate into normal testes or ovaries. Moreover, arginine methylation of the germ cell-specific proteins Zili and Vasa, as well as histones H3 (H3R8me2s) and H4 (H4R3me2s), was reduced in the gonads of prmt5-null zebrafish. This resulted in the downregulation of several Piwi pathway proteins, including Zili, and Vasa. In addition, various genes related to meiosis, gonad development and sexual differentiation were dysregulated in the gonads of prmt5-null zebrafish. Our results revealed a novel mechanism associated with prmt5, i.e. prmt5 apparently controls germ cell development in vertebrates by catalyzing arginine methylation of the germline-specific proteins Zili and Vasa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junji Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Dawei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Xing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangqing Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaolian Cai
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Chenxi Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Fangjing Rong
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China
| | - Gang Ouyang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Wuhan Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, People's Republic of China.,The Key Laboratory of Aquaculture Disease Control, Ministry of Agriculture, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.,The Key of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China.,The Innovation of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
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24
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Yan YL, Batzel P, Titus T, Sydes J, Desvignes T, BreMiller R, Draper B, Postlethwait JH. A Hormone That Lost Its Receptor: Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) in Zebrafish Gonad Development and Sex Determination. Genetics 2019; 213:529-553. [PMID: 31399485 PMCID: PMC6781894 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.119.302365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Fetal mammalian testes secrete Anti-Müllerian hormone (Amh), which inhibits female reproductive tract (Müllerian duct) development. Amh also derives from mature mammalian ovarian follicles, which marks oocyte reserve and characterizes polycystic ovarian syndrome. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) lacks Müllerian ducts and the Amh receptor gene amhr2 but, curiously, retains amh To discover the roles of Amh in the absence of Müllerian ducts and the ancestral receptor gene, we made amh null alleles in zebrafish. Results showed that normal amh prevents female-biased sex ratios. Adult male amh mutants had enormous testes, half of which contained immature oocytes, demonstrating that Amh regulates male germ cell accumulation and inhibits oocyte development or survival. Mutant males formed sperm ducts and some produced a few offspring. Young female mutants laid a few fertile eggs, so they also had functional sex ducts. Older amh mutants accumulated nonvitellogenic follicles in exceedingly large but sterile ovaries, showing that Amh helps control ovarian follicle maturation and proliferation. RNA-sequencing data partitioned juveniles at 21 days postfertilization (dpf) into two groups that each contained mutant and wild-type fish. Group21-1 upregulated ovary genes compared to Group21-2, which were likely developing as males. By 35 dpf, transcriptomes distinguished males from females and, within each sex, mutants from wild types. In adult mutants, ovaries greatly underexpressed granulosa and theca genes, and testes underexpressed Leydig cell genes. These results show that ancestral Amh functions included development of the gonadal soma in ovaries and testes and regulation of gamete proliferation and maturation. A major gap in our understanding is the identity of the gene encoding a zebrafish Amh receptor; we show here that the loss of amhr2 is associated with the breakpoint of a chromosome rearrangement shared among cyprinid fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Lin Yan
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Peter Batzel
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Tom Titus
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Jason Sydes
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Thomas Desvignes
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Ruth BreMiller
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403
| | - Bruce Draper
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, California 95616
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25
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Sun J, Yan L, Shen W, Meng A. Maternal Ybx1 safeguards zebrafish oocyte maturation and maternal-to-zygotic transition by repressing global translation. Development 2018; 145:dev.166587. [PMID: 30135188 DOI: 10.1242/dev.166587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Maternal mRNAs and proteins dictate early embryonic development before zygotic genome activation. In the absence of transcription, elaborate control of maternal mRNA translation is of particular importance for oocyte maturation and early embryogenesis. By analyzing zebrafish ybx1 mutants with a null allele, we demonstrate an essential role of maternal ybx1 in repressing global translation in oocytes and embryos. Loss of maternal Ybx1 leads to impaired oocyte maturation and egg activation. Maternal ybx1 (Mybx1) mutant embryos fail to undergo normal cleavage and the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT). Morpholino knockdown of ybx1 also results in MZT loss and epiboly failure, suggesting the postfertilization requirement of Ybx1. In addition, elevated global translation level and the unfolded protein response were found in Ybx1-depleted embryos. Supplementing translational repression by eIF4E inhibition markedly rescues the Mybx1 phenotype. Mechanistically, Ybx1 in embryos may associate with processing body components and repress translation when tethered to target mRNAs. Collectively, our results identify maternal Ybx1 as a global translational repressor required for oocyte maturation and early embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Sun
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Lu Yan
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Weimin Shen
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Anming Meng
- Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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26
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Kaufman OH, Lee K, Martin M, Rothhämel S, Marlow FL. rbpms2 functions in Balbiani body architecture and ovary fate. PLoS Genet 2018; 14:e1007489. [PMID: 29975683 PMCID: PMC6049948 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1007489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The most prominent developmental regulators in oocytes are RNA-binding proteins (RNAbps) that assemble their targets into ribonucleoprotein granules where they are stored, transported and translationally regulated. RNA-binding protein of multiple splice forms 2, or Rbpms2, interacts with molecules that are essential to reproduction and egg patterning, including bucky ball, a key factor for Bb formation. Rbpms2 is localized to germ granules in primordial germ cells (PGCs) and to the Balbiani body (Bb) of oocytes, although the mechanisms regulating Rbpms2 localization to these structures are unknown. Using mutant Rbpms2 proteins, we show that Rbpms2 requires distinct protein domains to localize within germ cells and somatic cells. Accumulation and localization to subcellular compartments in the germline requires an intact RNA binding domain. Whereas in zebrafish somatic blastula cells, the conserved C-terminal domain promotes localization to the bipolar centrosomes/spindle. To investigate Rbpms2 functions, we mutated the duplicated and functionally redundant zebrafish rbpms2 genes. The gonads of rbpms2a;2b (rbpms2) mutants initially contain early oocytes, however definitive oogenesis ultimately fails during sexual differentiation and, rbpms2 mutants develop as fertile males. Unlike other genes that promote oogenesis, failure to maintain oocytes in rbpms2 mutants was not suppressed by mutation of Tp53. These findings reveal a novel and essential role for rbpms2 in oogenesis. Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that rbpms2 is not required for the asymmetric accumulation of mitochondria and Buc protein in oocytes, however its absence resulted in formation of abnormal Buc aggregates and atypical electron-dense cytoplasmic inclusions. Our findings reveal novel and essential roles for rbpms2 in Buc organization and oocyte differentiation. Oocyte development relies on posttranscriptional regulation by RNA binding proteins (RNAbps). RNAbps form large multi-molecular structures called RNPs (ribonucleoproteins) that further aggregate into regulatory granules within germ cells. In zebrafish primary oocytes, a large transient RNP aggregate called the Balbiani body (Bb) is essential for localizing patterning molecules and germline determinants within oocytes. RNA-binding protein of multiple splice forms 2, or Rbpms2, localizes to germ granules and the Bb, and interacts with bucky ball, a key factor for Bb formation. We show that Rbpms2 requires RNA binding for localization within germ cells, and that the C-term and RRM contribute to Rbpms2 subcellular localization in distinct somatic cell types. To investigate Rbpms2 functions we mutated the duplicated zebrafish rbpms2 genes. Consistent with redundant functions, rbpms2a and rbpms2b gene expression overlaps, and single mutants have no discernible phenotypes. Although rbpms2a;2b double mutants have cardiac phenotypes, those that reach adulthood are exclusively fertile males. Genetic analysis shows that rbpms2 mutant oocytes are not maintained even when Tp53, a regulator of cell death is absent. Initial oocyte polarity is established in rbpms2 mutants based on asymmetric distribution of Buc protein and mitochondria; however, abnormal Buc structures and atypical cytoplasmic inclusions form. This work reveals independent Rbpms2 functions in promoting Bb integrity, and as a novel regulator of ovary fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odelya H. Kaufman
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - KathyAnn Lee
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Manon Martin
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Sophie Rothhämel
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - Florence L. Marlow
- Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology; Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience. Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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27
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Tao W, Chen J, Tan D, Yang J, Sun L, Wei J, Conte MA, Kocher TD, Wang D. Transcriptome display during tilapia sex determination and differentiation as revealed by RNA-Seq analysis. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:363. [PMID: 29764377 PMCID: PMC5952695 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4756-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The factors determining sex in teleosts are diverse. Great efforts have been made to characterize the underlying genetic network in various species. However, only seven master sex-determining genes have been identified in teleosts. While the function of a few genes involved in sex determination and differentiation has been studied, we are far from fully understanding how genes interact to coordinate in this process. Results To enable systematic insights into fish sexual differentiation, we generated a dynamic co-expression network from tilapia gonadal transcriptomes at 5, 20, 30, 40, 90, and 180 dah (days after hatching), plus 45 and 90 dat (days after treatment) and linked gene expression profiles to both development and sexual differentiation. Transcriptomic profiles of female and male gonads at 5 and 20 dah exhibited high similarities except for a small number of genes that were involved in sex determination, while drastic changes were observed from 90 to 180 dah, with a group of differently expressed genes which were involved in gonadal differentiation and gametogenesis. Weighted gene correlation network analysis identified changes in the expression of Borealin, Gtsf1, tesk1, Zar1, Cdn15, and Rpl that were correlated with the expression of genes previously known to be involved in sex differentiation, such as Foxl2, Cyp19a1a, Gsdf, Dmrt1, and Amh. Conclusions Global gonadal gene expression kinetics during sex determination and differentiation have been extensively profiled in tilapia. These findings provide insights into the genetic framework underlying sex determination and sexual differentiation, and expand our current understanding of developmental pathways during teleost sex determination. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4756-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Tao
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Jinlin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Dejie Tan
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Lina Sun
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Jing Wei
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Matthew A Conte
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Thomas D Kocher
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
| | - Deshou Wang
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science of Chongqing, School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China.
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28
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ZAR1 knockdown promotes the differentiation of human neuroblastoma cells by suppression of MYCN expression. Med Oncol 2017; 34:158. [PMID: 28791558 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-017-0999-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Although DNA hypermethylation at non-promoter region of the Zygote arrest 1 (ZAR1) gene has been observed in many types of tumor, including neuroblastoma (NB), the role of this gene in tumor development and/or progression is unclear. One reason is that knowledge about the function of ZAR1 protein is limited. Although it has been reported that ZAR1 plays a crucial role in early embryogenesis and may act as a transcriptional repressor for some transcripts, the detailed mechanism is still elusive. In the present study, we analyzed public data of NB patients and found that higher expression levels of ZAR1 were significantly associated with a shorter survival period. Consistent with this result, ZAR1-depleted NB cells showed well-differentiated phenotypes with elongated neurites and upregulated expression of TRKA and RET, which are markers for differentiated NB. Moreover, the expression level of MYCN protein was markedly suppressed in ZAR1-depleted NB cells. MYCN-depleted cells showed similar phenotypes to ZAR1-depleted cells. The present findings indicate that ZAR1 has oncogenic effects in NB by suppressing cell differentiation via regulation of MYCN expression.
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