Identification of regulatory elements required for Stra8 expression in fetal ovarian germ cells of the mouse

0559751 - ÚMG 2023 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Feng, C.W. - Burnet, G. - Spiller, C.M. - Cheung, F.K.M. - Chawengsaksophak, Kallayanee - Koopman, P. - Bowles, J.
Identification of regulatory elements required for Stra8 expression in fetal ovarian germ cells of the mouse.
Development. Roč. 148, č. 5 (2021), č. článku dev194977. ISSN 0950-1991. E-ISSN 1477-9129
Institutional support: RVO:68378050
Keywords : Retinoic acid * Stra8 * Meiosis * rare * Germ cell
OECD category: Developmental biology
Impact factor: 6.862, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://journals.biologists.com/dev/article/148/5/dev194977/237497/Identification-of-regulatory-elements-required-for

In mice, the entry of germ cells into meiosis crucially depends on the expression of stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 (Stra8). Stra8 is expressed specifically in pre-meiotic germ cells of females and males, at fetal and postnatal stages, respectively, but the mechanistic details of its spatiotemporal regulation are yet to be defined. In particular, there has been considerable debate regarding whether retinoic acid is required, in vivo, to initiate Stra8 expression in the mouse fetal ovary. We show that the distinctive anterior-to-posterior pattern of Stra8 initiation, characteristic of germ cells in the fetal ovary, is faithfully recapitulated when 2.9 kb of the Stra8 promoter is used to drive eGFP expression. Using in vitro transfection assays of cutdown and mutant constructs, we identified two functional retinoic acid responsive elements (RAREs) within this 2.9 kb regulatory element. We also show that the transcription factor DMRT1 enhances Stra8 expression, but only in the presence of RA and the most proximal RARE. Finally, we used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted mutation studies to demonstrate that both RAREs are required for optimal Stra8 expression levels in vivo.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0332956