Expression of Sry, the mouse sex determining gene

Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (6) ◽  
pp. 1603-1614 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Hacker ◽  
B. Capel ◽  
P. Goodfellow ◽  
R. Lovell-Badge
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cells ◽  
Translational Control ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Genital Ridge ◽  
Sry Gene ◽  
Genomic Locus ◽  
Rnase Protection ◽  
Unique Region ◽  
Adult Testis

In the mouse, Sry is expressed by germ cells in the adult testis and by somatic cells in the genital ridge. Transcripts in the former exist as circular RNA molecules of 1.23 kb, which are unlikely to be efficiently translated. We have used RNase protection to map the extent of the less abundant Sry transcript in the developing gonad. We demonstrate that it is a linear mRNA derived from a single exon. This begins in the unique region 5′ of the protein coding region and extends several kilobases into the 3′ arm of the large inverted repeat which bounds the Sry genomic locus. Knowledge of this transcript, which is very different from that of the human SRY gene, allows us to predict its protein product and reveals several features which may be involved in translational control. Our data is also consistent with there being two promoters for the Sry gene, a proximal one that gives functional transcripts in the genital ridge and a distal promoter used in germ cells in the adult testis. As RNase protection is a quantitative technique, a detailed timecourse of Sry expression was carried out using accurately staged samples. Sry transcripts are first detectable just after 10.5 days post coitum, they reach a peak at 11.5 days and then decline sharply so that none are detected 24 hours later. This was compared with anti-Mullerian hormone gene expression, an early marker of Sertoli cells and the first known downstream gene of Sry. Amh expression begins 20 hours after the onset of Sry expression at a time when Sry transcripts are at their peak. While this result does not prove a direct interaction between the two genes, it defines the critical period during which Sry must act to initiate Sertoli cell differentiation.

scholarly journals Expression of a mouse Zfy-1/lacZ transgene in the somatic cells of the embryonic gonad and germ cells of the adult testis

Development ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 120 (6) ◽  
pp. 1549-1559 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.P. Zambrowicz ◽  
J.W. Zimmermann ◽  
C.J. Harendza ◽  
E.M. Simpson ◽  
D.C. Page ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cells ◽  
Somatic Cells ◽  
Transcription Activator ◽  
Genital Ridge ◽  
Adult Testis ◽  
Adult Mice ◽  
Embryonic Gonad ◽  
Normal Expression ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Cell Expression

The Zfy-1 and Zfy-2 genes, which arose by gene duplication, map to the mouse Y chromosome and encode nearly identical zinc-finger proteins. Zfy-1 is expressed in the genital ridge and adult testis and likely encodes a transcription activator. Although potential roles in sex determination and spermatogenesis have been hotly debated, the biological functions of Zfy-1 remain unknown. To study the gene's regulation, transgenes with 21–28 kb of Zfy-1 5′ flanking DNA placed upstream of lacZ were constructed in plasmids or created by homologous recombination of coinjected DNA molecules. The resulting transgenic mice expressed beta-galactosidase in the genital ridge of both males and females starting between embryonic day 10 and 11 (E10-E11), peaking at E12-E13 and then declining to low levels by E15, a pattern that matches Zfy-1 mRNA as detected by RT-PCR. This lacZ expression in genital ridge was confined to somatic cells as demonstrated by its absence from the alkaline phosphatase-positive germ cells. It had been reported previously that Zfy-1 mRNA was absent from the embryonic gonad of homozygous W(e) embryos, which virtually lack germ cells. By contrast, we observed normal expression of the Zfy-1/lacZ transgene when introduced into the W(e) background, suggesting that germ cells are not necessary for expression. In the adult, the Zfy-1/lacZ transgene is expressed abundantly in developing germ cells. Extragonadal (kidney, meninges, arteries, choroid plexus) expression of the transgene was also observed in embryos. A smaller transgene with only 4.3 kb of Zfy-1 5′ flanking DNA was expressed only in germ cells of adult mice. These results suggest that an enhancer for germ cell expression in the adult lies near the Zfy-1 promoter and that an enhancer for expression in the somatic cells of the embryonic gonad is located further 5′.

scholarly journals Abnormal Meiosis Initiation in Germ Cell Caused by Aberrant Differentiation of Gonad Somatic Cell

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Min Chen ◽  
Min Chen ◽  
Suren Chen ◽  
Jingjing Zhou ◽  
Fangfang Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Differentiation ◽  
Germ Cell ◽  
Somatic Cell ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Somatic Cells ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Genital Ridge ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Germ Cell Differentiation ◽  
Exact Function

The interaction between germ cell and somatic cell plays important roles in germ cell development. However, the exact function of gonad somatic cell in germ cell differentiation is unclear. In the present study, the function of gonad somatic cell in germ cell meiosis was examined by using mouse models with aberrant somatic cell differentiation. In Wt1R394W/R394W mice, the genital ridge is absent due to the apoptosis of coelomic epithelial cells. Interestingly, in both male and female Wt1R394W/R394W germ cells, STRA8 was detected at E12.5 and the scattered SYCP3 foci were observed at E13.5 which was consistent with control females. In Wt1-/flox; Cre-ERTM mice, Wt1 was inactivated by the injection of tamoxifen at E9.5 and the differentiation of Sertoli and granulosa cells was completely blocked. We found that most germ cells were located outside of genital ridge after Wt1 inactivation. STRA8, SYCP3, and γH2AX proteins were detected in germ cells of both male and female Wt1-/flox; Cre-ERTM gonads, whereas no thread-like SYCP3 signal was observed. Our study demonstrates that aberrant development of gonad somatic cells leads to ectopic expression of meiosis-associated genes in germ cells, but meiosis was arrested before prophase I. These results suggest that the proper differentiation of gonad somatic cells is essential for germ cell meiosis.

scholarly journals Roles of Transcription Factor Mot3 and Chromatin in Repression of the Hypoxic Gene ANB1 in Yeast

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (19) ◽  
pp. 7088-7098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander J. Kastaniotis ◽  
Thomas A. Mennella ◽  
Christian Konrad ◽  
Ana M. Rodriguez Torres ◽  
Richard S. Zitomer
Keyword(s):  
Binding Site ◽  
Regulatory Region ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Minor Effect ◽  
Histone H4 ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Basal Transcriptional Machinery ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
A Minor

ABSTRACT The hypoxic genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae are repressed by a complex consisting of the aerobically expressed, sequence-specific DNA-binding protein Rox1 and the Tup1-Ssn6 general repressors. The regulatory region of one well-studied hypoxic gene,ANB1, is comprised of two operators, OpA and OpB, each of which has two strong Rox1 binding sites, yet OpA represses transcription almost 10 times more effectively than OpB. We show here that this difference is due to the presence of a Mot3 binding site in OpA. Mutations in this site reduced OpA repression to OpB levels, and the addition of a Mot3 binding site to OpB enhanced repression. Deletion of the mot3 gene also resulted in reduced repression of ANB1. Repression of two other hypoxic genes in which Mot3 sites were associated with Rox1 sites was reduced in the deletion strain, but other hypoxic genes were unaffected. In addition, the mot3Δ mutation caused a partial derepression of the Mig1–Tup1-Ssn6-repressed SUC2 gene, but not the α2–Mcm1–Tup1-Ssn6-repressed STE2 gene. The Mot3 protein was demonstrated to bind to the ANB1 OpA in vitro. Competition experiments indicated that there was no interaction between Rox1 and Mot3, indicating that Mot3 functions either in Tup1-Ssn6 recruitment or directly in repression. A great deal of evidence has accumulated suggesting that the Tup1-Ssn6 complex represses transcription through both nucleosome positioning and a direct interaction with the basal transcriptional machinery. We demonstrate here that under repressed conditions a nucleosome is positioned over the TATA box in the wild-type ANB1promoter. This nucleosome was absent in cells carrying arox1, tup1, or mot3 deletion, all of which cause some degree of derepression. Interestingly, however, this positioned nucleosome was also lost in a cell carrying a deletion of the N-terminal coding region of histone H4, yet ANB1expression remained fully repressed. A similar deletion in the gene for histone H3, which had no effect on repression, had only a minor effect on the positioned nucleosome. These results indicate that the nucleosome phasing on the ANB1 promoter caused by the Rox1–Mot3–Tup1-Ssn6 complex is either completely redundant with a chromatin-independent repression mechanism or, less likely, plays no role in repression at all.

scholarly journals C-kit gene is expressed by skin mast cells in embryos but not in puppies of Wsh/Wsh mice: age-dependent abolishment of c-kit gene expression

Blood ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 83 (12) ◽  
pp. 3509-3516 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Yamazaki ◽  
T Tsujimura ◽  
E Morii ◽  
K Isozaki ◽  
H Onoue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mast Cells ◽  
Mrna Expression ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Rnase Protection Assay ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Carboxypeptidase A ◽  
Rnase Protection ◽  
Kit Gene ◽  
Age Dependent

Abstract The Wsh is a mutant allele at the W (c-kit) locus of mice, but no significant abnormalities are found at the coding region of the Wsh allele. Since cultured mast cells derived from the spleen of Wsh/Wsh mice do not express messenger RNA (mRNA) of c-kit, we studied the interrelation between the number of mast cells and the magnitude of c- kit mRNA expression in the skin of Wsh/Wsh mice of various ages. The number of mast cells in the skin of Wsh/Wsh embryos of 18 days postcoitum (pc) was approximately 40% that of normal control (+/+) embryos, but the number of mast cells decreased exponentially after birth; the number dropped to 0.6% that of +/+ mice at day 150 after birth. A weak but apparent signal of c-kit mRNA was detectable in the skin of 18-day pc Wsh/Wsh embryos by RNase protection assay but not in the skin of 5-day-old Wsh/Wsh mice. The number of c-kit protein- containing cells was significantly greater in the skin of 18-day pc Wsh/Wsh embryos than in the skin of 5-day-old Wsh/Wsh mice. The abolishment of c-kit mRNA expression appeared to be specific, because the expression of mast cell carboxypeptidase A mRNA but not of c-kit mRNA was detectable by in situ hybridization in skin mast cells of 5- day-old Wsh/Wsh mice. Taken together, the expression of c-kit mRNA was abolished first, then the content of c-kit protein dropped to undetectable levels, and then the disappearance of Wsh/Wsh mast cells themselves followed.

Alternative splicing events in the coding region of the cytochrome P450 aromatase gene in male rat germ cells

1998 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Levallet ◽  
H Mittre ◽  
B Delarue ◽  
S Carreau
Keyword(s):  
Cytochrome P450 ◽  
Alternative Splicing ◽  
Germ Cells ◽  
Binding Domain ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Male Rat ◽  
Heme Binding ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
P450 Aromatase ◽  
Alternative Splicing Events

Expression of cytochrome P450 mRNA in rat germ cells was characterized by reverse transcription PCR with various primers located at the 3'-end of the coding region. At least two unusual isoforms (Ex10-S and INT) of P450 aromatase (P450arom) mRNA were expressed. Analysis of their sequences demonstrated that an alternative splicing event occurred first at the exon-intron boundary of the GT consensus sequence of the last coding exon, and second in the internal 5' donor inside exon 9 used as a minor cryptic splicing site. These isoforms lacked the last coding exon which contained the heme-binding domain; in addition, for the Ex10-S transcript, the catalytic domain was also absent because of a frameshift in the open reading frame. The deduced amino acid sequences led to truncated P450arom polypeptides without the heme-binding domain, which were probably unable to convert androgens into estrogens. Adult rat germ cells are able to express P450arom mRNA, which is then translated into a biologically active enzyme which is involved in estrogen production. Moreover, for the first time, we report the existence of alternative splicing events of P45Oarom mRNA in pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids, which probably cannot encode functional aromatase molecules.

scholarly journals Polyamine Regulation of Ornithine Decarboxylase Synthesis in Neurospora crassa

2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 2760-2773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin A. Hoyt ◽  
Mariya Broun ◽  
Rowland H. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Neurospora Crassa ◽  
Ornithine Decarboxylase ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Translational Control ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Polyamine Biosynthesis ◽  
Rate Limiting Step ◽  
Sequence Elements ◽  
Rate Limiting

ABSTRACT Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) of the fungus Neurospora crassa, encoded by the spe-1 gene, catalyzes an initial and rate-limiting step in polyamine biosynthesis and is highly regulated by polyamines. In N. crassa, polyamines repress the synthesis and increase the degradation of ODC protein. Changes in the rate of ODC synthesis correlate with similar changes in the abundance of spe-1 mRNA. We identify two sequence elements, one in each of the 5′ and 3′ regions of the spe-1 gene ofN. crassa, required for this polyamine-mediated regulation. A 5′ polyamine-responsive region (5′ PRR) comprises DNA sequences both in the upstream untranscribed region and in the long 5′ untranslated region (5′-UTR) of the gene. The 5′ PRR is sufficient to confer polyamine regulation to a downstream, heterologous coding region. Use of the β-tubulin promoter to drive the expression of various portions of the spe-1 transcribed region revealed a 3′ polyamine-responsive region (3′ PRR) downstream of the coding region. Neither changes in cellular polyamine status nor deletion of sequences in the 5′-UTR alters the half-life of spe-1 mRNA. Sequences in the spe-1 5′-UTR also impede the translation of a heterologous coding region, and polyamine starvation partially relieves this impediment. The results show that N. crassa uses a unique combination of polyamine-mediated transcriptional and translational control mechanisms to regulate ODC synthesis.

scholarly journals Repression of Capsule Production by XdrA and CodY inStaphylococcus aureus

2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei G. Lei ◽  
Chia Y. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Regulatory Network ◽  
Promoter Region ◽  
Virulence Genes ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Capsule Production ◽  
Complex Regulatory Network ◽  
Broad Region

ABSTRACTCapsule is one of many virulence factors produced byStaphylococcus aureus, and its expression is highly regulated. Here, we report the repression of capsule by direct interaction of XdrA and CodY with the capsule promoter region. We found, by footprinting analyses, that XdrA repressed capsule by binding to a broad region that extended from upstream of the −35 region of the promoter to the coding region ofcapA, the first gene of the 16-genecapoperon. Footprinting analyses also revealed that CodY bound to a large region that overlapped extensively with that of XdrA. We found that repression of thecapgenes in thexdrAmutant could be achieved by the overexpression ofcodYbut not vice versa, suggestingcodYis epistatic toxdrA. However, we found XdrA had no effect on CodY expression. These results suggest that XdrA plays a secondary role in capsule regulation by promoting CodY repression of thecapgenes. Oxacillin slightly inducedxdrAexpression and reducedcappromoter activity, but the effect of oxacillin on capsule was not mediated through XdrA.IMPORTANCEStaphylococcus aureusemploys a complex regulatory network to coordinate the expression of various virulence genes to achieve successful infections. How virulence genes are coordinately regulated is still poorly understood. We have been studying capsule regulation as a model system to explore regulatory networking inS. aureus. In this study, we found that XdrA and CodY have broad binding sites that overlap extensively in the capsule promoter region. Our results also suggest that XdrA assists CodY in the repression of capsule. As capsule gene regulation by DNA-binding regulators has not been fully investigated, the results presented here fill an important knowledge gap, thereby further advancing our understanding of the global virulence regulatory network inS. aureus.

scholarly journals Transcriptional and Translational Control of the Salmonella fliC Gene

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (12) ◽  
pp. 4487-4496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip Aldridge ◽  
Joshua Gnerer ◽  
Joyce E. Karlinsey ◽  
Kelly T. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Translational Control ◽  
Gene Promoter ◽  
Mrna Translation ◽  
Start Codon ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Flagellin Gene ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Single Base ◽  
Flic Gene ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT The flagellin gene fliC encodes the major component of the flagellum in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. This study reports the identification of a signal within the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) of the fliC transcript required for the efficient expression and assembly of FliC into the growing flagellar structure. Primer extension mapping determined the transcription start site of the fliC flagellin gene to be 62 bases upstream of the AUG start codon. Using tetA-fliC operon fusions, we show that the entire 62-base 5′UTR region of fliC was required for sufficient fliC mRNA translation to allow normal FliC flagellin assembly, suggesting that translation might be coupled to assembly. To identify sequence that might couple fliC mRNA translation to FliC secretion, the 5′ end of the chromosomal fliC gene was mutagenized by PCR-directed mutagenesis. Single base sequences important for fliC-dependent transcription, translation, and motility were identified by using fliC-lacZ transcriptional and translational reporter constructs. Transcription-specific mutants identified the −10 and −35 regions of the consensus flagellar class 3 gene promoter. Single base changes defective in translation were located in three regions: the AUG start codon, the presumed ribosomal binding site region, and a region near the very 5′ end of the fliC mRNA that corresponded to a potential stem-loop structure in the 5′UTR. Motility-specific mutants resulted from base substitutions only in the fliC-coding region. The results suggest that fliC mRNA translation is not coupled to FliC secretion by the flagellar type III secretion system.

scholarly journals In vivo antisense oligodeoxynucleotide mapping reveals masked regulatory elements in an mRNA dormant in mouse oocytes.

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1759-1767 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Stutz ◽  
J Huarte ◽  
P Gubler ◽  
B Conne ◽  
D Belin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Translational Control ◽  
Intact Cell ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Tissue Type ◽  
Meiotic Maturation ◽  
Antisense Oligodeoxynucleotide ◽  
Control Element ◽  
Rnase Protection ◽  
Mouse Oocytes

In mouse oocytes, tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) mRNA is under translational control. The newly transcribed mRNA undergoes deadenylation and translational silencing in growing oocytes, while readenylation and translation occur during meiotic maturation. To localize regulatory elements controlling tPA mRNA expression, we identified regions of the endogenous transcript protected from hybridization with injected antisense oligodeoxynucleotides. Most of the targeted sequences in either the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR), coding region, or 3'UTR were accessible to hybridization, as revealed by inhibition of tPA synthesis and by RNase protection. Two protected regions were identified in the 3'UTR of tPA mRNA in primary oocytes: the adenylation control element (ACE) and the AAUAAA polyadenylation signal. These sequences were previously shown to be involved in the translational control of injected reporter transcripts. During the first hour of meiotic maturation, part of the ACE and the AAUAAA hexanucleotide became accessible to hybridization, suggesting a partial unmasking of the 3'UTR of this mRNA before it becomes translationally competent. Our results demonstrate that in vivo antisense oligodeoxynucleotide mapping can reveal the dynamics of regulatory features of a native mRNA in the context of the intact cell. They suggest that specific regions in the 3'UTR of tPA mRNA function as cis-acting masking determinants involved in the silencing of tPA mRNA in primary oocytes.

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