The RNA-binding protein DND1 acts sequentially as a negative regulator of pluripotency and a positive regulator of epigenetic modifiers required for germ cell reprogramming.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-25-2019
Keywords
JMG
JAX Source
Development 2019 Jul 25; 146(19):dev175950
Volume
146
Issue
19
ISSN
1477-9129
PMID
31253634
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.175950
Abstract
The adult spermatogonial stem cell population arises from pluripotent primordial germ cells (PGCs) that enter the fetal testis around embryonic day (E)10.5. PGCs undergo rapid mitotic proliferation, then enter prolonged cell cycle arrest (G1/G0), during which they transition to pro-spermatogonia. In mice homozygous for the Ter mutation in the RNA-binding protein Dnd1 (Dnd1Ter/Ter ), many male germ cells (MGCs) fail to enter G1/G0 and instead form teratomas: tumors containing many embryonic cell types. To investigate the origin of these tumors, we sequenced the MGC transcriptome in Dnd1Ter/Ter mutants at E12.5, E13.5 and E14.5, immediately prior to teratoma formation, and correlated this information with DO-RIP-Seq-identified DND1 direct targets. Consistent with previous results, we found DND1 controls downregulation of many genes associated with pluripotency and active cell cycle, including mTor, Hippo and Bmp/Nodal signaling pathway elements. However, DND1 targets also include genes associated with male differentiation, including a large group of chromatin regulators activated in wild-type but not mutant MGCs during the E13.5 and E14.5 transition. Results suggest multiple DND1 functions and link DND1 to initiation of epigenetic modifications in MGCs.
Recommended Citation
Ruthig V,
Friedersdorf M,
Garness J,
Munger SC,
Bunce C,
Keene J,
Capel B.
The RNA-binding protein DND1 acts sequentially as a negative regulator of pluripotency and a positive regulator of epigenetic modifiers required for germ cell reprogramming. Development 2019 Jul 25; 146(19):dev175950