Research
| Title： | Tdrd12 Is Essential for Germ Cell Development and Maintenance in Zebrafish |
|---|---|
| First author： | Dai, Xiangyan; Shu, Yuqin; Lou, Qiyong; Tian, Qiang; Zhai, Gang; Song, Jia; Lu, Suxiang; Yu, Hong; He, Jiangyan; Yin, Zhan |
| Journal： | INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES |
| Years： | 2017 |
| DOI： | 10.3390/ijms18061127 |
| Abstract： | The regularity of Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) biogenesis is crucial to germline development. Functioning as Piwi-interacting proteins, Tudor domain-related proteins (Tdrds) have been demonstrated to be involved in spermatogenesis and the piRNA pathway. In this study, zebrafish tdrd12 was identified, and the maternal and germ cell-specific expression patterns of zebrafish tdrd12 were observed. Utilizing TALEN (transcription activator-like effector nuclease) techniques, two independent tdrd12 mutant zebrafish lines were generated. Although no defects were found during the generation of the primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the tdrd12-null fish progenies obtained from the heterozygous tdrd12 mutant parents, all Tdrd12-deficient fish developed into infertile males. The reduced numbers and eventually loss of the germ cells by 35 days post fertilization (dpf) led to masculinization and infertility of the Tdrd12-deficient fish. Meiosis defects of the germ cells in the tdrd12 mutants during the gonad-transitioning period were observed, revealing the indispensable functions of Tdrd12 in gametogenesis. Our studies demonstrated that zebrafish Tdrd12 is essential for germ cell development and maintenance. |
