Article
Developmental Biology
Oleksandr Kirsanov, Taylor A. Johnson, Bryan A. Niedenberger, Taylor N. Malachowski, Benjamin J. Hale, Qing Chen, Brad Lackford, Jiajia Wang, Anukriti Singh, Karen Schindler, Brian P. Hermann, Guang Hu, Christopher B. Geyer
Summary: Retinoic acid (RA) is proposed as the substance that induces meiosis in mammals, but the evidence for this role is based on studies in fetal ovaries where germ cell differentiation and meiotic initiation are inseparable. However, in postnatal testes, these events are separated by more than 1 week. This study found that while RA is necessary for spermatogonial differentiation, it is not essential for meiotic initiation, progression, and completion in the testis, indicating an independent model for male meiotic initiation.
Article
Cell Biology
Indrashis Bhattacharya, Partigya Sharma, Shriya Purohit, Sachin Kothiyal, Moitreyi Das, Arnab Banerjee
Summary: This opinion article briefly reviews our current understanding on the RA-driven spermatogonial differentiation in murine testes, including the role of RA in the transition of spermatogonia types and the regulation of meiotic prophase.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Oleksandr Kirsanov, Taylor Johnson, Taylor Malachowski, Bryan A. Niedenberger, Emma A. Gilbert, Debajit Bhowmick, P. Hande Ozdinler, Douglas A. Gray, Kelsey Fisher-Wellman, Brian P. Hermann, Christopher B. Geyer
Summary: We have developed a facile in vitro differentiation and meiotic initiation system that can be manipulated using chemical agents that cannot be administered to live animals. Additionally, we introduced a transgenic mouse model enabling the isolation of specific developmental stages of spermatogonia and meiotic spermatocytes.
Review
Cell Biology
Yu Zhou, Yunyan Wang
Summary: Spermatogenesis is a complex process regulated by the microenvironment in the testes. The blood-testis barrier and retinoic acid signaling play crucial roles in this process.
Article
Cell Biology
Xiaoyu Zhang, Yan Liu, Froylan Sosa, Sumedha Gunewardena, Peter A. Crawford, Amanda C. Zielen, Kyle E. Orwig, Ning Wang
Summary: Nutrient transporter genes are downregulated in germ cells during meiotic initiation, and this process requires the presence of Stra8. Stra8 binds to these genes and induces their H3K27 deacetylation. In the absence of Stra8, germ cells continue to uptake glutamine and glucose, leading to hyperactive mTORC1/PKA activities.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jingjing Shi, Qun Niu, Qing Gao, Jiang Fu, Jinlong Ma
Summary: The study elucidated the crucial role of Dennd1a in oogenesis and meiosis in the fetal ovary, regulating transcription of key genes and participating in multiple signaling pathways. It is essential for the normal function of the ovary by influencing the differentiation of oocytes and meiotic initiation of fetal germ cells.
FRONTIERS IN BIOSCIENCE-LANDMARK
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Fei Han, Li Yin, Xiao Jiang, Xi Zhang, Ning Zhang, Jun-tang Yang, Wei-ming Ouyang, Xiang-lin Hao, Wen-bin Liu, Yong-sheng Huang, Hong-qiang Chen, Fei Gao, Zhong-tai Li, Qiao-nan Guo, Jia Cao, Jin-yi Liu
Summary: Sox30 is an age-related and essential regulator of meiosis in the postnatal testis, playing a critical role in germ-cell differentiation by directly regulating key regulators. Its re-expression in Sox30-null mice successfully restores germ-cell meiosis, differentiation and Leydig cell proliferation, improving fertility over time.
Editorial Material
Biology
J. Christian Althaus, Michael A. Sutton
Summary: All-trans retinoic acid induces synaptic plasticity in human cortical circuits by engaging the spine apparatus, leading to structural and functional changes at synapses.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
M. Christine Schleif, Shelby L. Havel, Michael D. Griswold
Summary: Retinoic acid, an active metabolite of vitamin A, plays important roles in the developmental processes of mammals, especially in spermatogenesis. It is crucial for the formation of the blood-testis barrier and spermatogonial differentiation, spermiation, and assisting in meiotic completion in male reproduction. However, research results on female oogenesis have shown varying outcomes.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Mirella L. Meyer-Ficca, Alexie E. Zwerdling, Corey A. Swanson, Abby G. Tucker, Sierra A. Lopez, Miles K. Wandersee, Gina M. Warner, Katie L. Thompson, Claudia C. S. Chini, Haolin Chen, Eduardo N. Chini, Ralph G. Meyer
Summary: The decline of NAD(+) levels in the body, including the testes, is associated with disrupted spermatogenesis and decreased male fertility. The study used a transgenic mouse model to experimentally lower NAD(+) levels and found that providing niacin supplementation rescued spermatogenesis and restored normal testis weight in the mice.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Chun-Wei Feng, Guillaume Burnet, Cassy M. Spiller, Fiona Ka Man Cheung, Kallayanee Chawengsaksophak, Peter Koopman, Josephine Bowles
Summary: This study demonstrates the crucial role of retinoic acid responsive elements (RAREs) in initiating Stra8 expression in the fetal mouse ovary, along with the enhancement of Stra8 expression by the transcription factor DMRT1 in the presence of retinoic acid. The specific anterior-to-posterior pattern of Stra8 initiation in germ cells is faithfully recapitulated by the 2.9 kb Stra8 promoter, highlighting the importance of RAREs in regulating germ cell meiosis.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiangqin Zheng, Yuexin Wei, Jiadong Chen, Xia Wang, Dinggang Li, Chengjun Yu, Yifan Hong, Lianju Shen, Chunlan Long, Guanghui Wei, Shengde Wu
Summary: In this study, male mice were orally administered difenoconazole (DFZ) for 35 days and significant reproductive toxicity was observed. DFZ caused testicular injury, decreased sperm count and testosterone levels, and increased sperm malformation rate. In vitro experiments showed that DFZ reduced cell viability and altered retinoic acid (RA) levels in GC-2 cells.
Article
Cell Biology
Mateus C. Adolfi, Amaury Herpin, Anabel Martinez-Bengochea, Susanne Kneitz, Martina Regensburger, David J. Grunwald, Manfred Schartl
Summary: Sex determination mechanism is associated with retinoic acid (RA) and Stra8, affecting germ cell development. RA treatments may inhibit germ cell differentiation and lead to precocious meiosis.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Hiroki Inoue, Takayuki Sakurai, Kazuteru Hasegawa, Atsushi Suzuki, Yumiko Saga
Summary: Our study demonstrates that NANOS3 plays a crucial role in regulating the expansion and differentiation of spermatogonial progenitors. Conditional deletion of Nanos3 leads to a reduction in the progenitor population and premature differentiation, which disrupts the seminiferous cell cycle.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Weiqi Sun, Fang Tian, Hongjie Pan, Xiuli Chang, Minjie Xia, Jingying Hu, Yuzhu Wang, Runsheng Li, Weihua Li, Mingjun Yang, Zhijun Zhou
Summary: This study systematically explored the male reproductive toxicity of FLC and found that it caused testicular dysfunction and damage in mice, leading to abnormal spermatogenesis and decreased sperm quality. The potential mechanisms include interference with spermatogonial proliferation and meiosis, as well as apoptosis and mitochondrial damage in testicular Sertoli cells.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Jin-Yan Liu, Yan-Nan Jiang, Hai Huang, Jin-Fu Xu, Ying-Hui Wu, Qiang Wang, Yue Zhu, Bo Zheng, Cong Shen, Wei-Feng Qian, Jun Shen
Summary: BMI-1 plays different roles in different types of breast cancer by inhibiting the transcription factors BRCA1 or CDKN2D, thereby promoting cell proliferation and migration.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jianlong Ma, Yayun Gu, Juanjuan Liu, Jingmei Song, Tao Zhou, Min Jiang, Yang Wen, Xuejiang Guo, Zuomin Zhou, Jiahao Sha, Jianbo He, Zhibin Hu, Lingfei Luo, Mingxi Liu
Summary: Our previous study identified 53 SNPs associated with CHD in the Han Chinese population. In this study, we conducted functional screening of 27 orthologous genes in zebrafish and identified 5 genes essential for heart development. These novel CHD-related genes have presumptive roles in heart chamber and atrioventricular canal formation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that maml3 is required for Notch signaling in vivo, leading to defective cardiac trabeculation and heart failure in zebrafish embryos.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Hongzheng Sun, Guangyi Sun, Haotian Zhang, Huiqing An, Yueshuai Guo, Juan Ge, Longsen Han, Shuai Zhu, Shoubin Tang, Congyang Li, Chen Xu, Xuejiang Guo, Qiang Wang
Summary: In this study, the temporal proteomic profiles of mouse oocytes during in vivo maturation were obtained, revealing novel proteomic features and key factors controlling histone acetylation state and meiotic cell cycle in oocytes. A broad resource on the dynamics occurring in oocyte proteome was provided, contributing to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms during germ cell development.
MOLECULAR & CELLULAR PROTEOMICS
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ping Zhang, Min Wang, Tao Zhou, Daozhen Chen
Summary: SeqWiz is a state-of-the-art toolkit for constructing next-generation sequence databases and performing proteomic-centric sequence analyses. It introduces two derived data formats, SQPD and SET, which outperform traditional FASTA or PEFF formats in terms of time and resource consumption. SeqWiz also provides compatible functions for handling traditional text formats and can promote the implementation of complementary proteomics for precision proteomics.
BMC BIOINFORMATICS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Yu Chen, Xiangzheng Zhang, Jiayin Jiang, Mengjiao Luo, Haixia Tu, Chen Xu, Huanhuan Tan, Xin Zhou, Hong Chen, Xudong Han, Qiuling Yue, Yueshuai Guo, Ke Zheng, Yaling Qi, Chenghao Situ, Yiqiang Cui, Xuejiang Guo
Summary: A study identifies a protein called Tssa that interacts with Miwi and is essential for male fertility, as it stabilizes mRNAs related to sperm formation.
Article
Biology
Shu Zhang, Chang Wang, Yue Wang, Hao Zhang, Chen Xu, Yiwei Cheng, Yan Yuan, Jiahao Sha, Xuejiang Guo, Yiqiang Cui
Summary: In this study, an endogenous circular RNA (circRsrc1) was discovered, which encodes a novel protein (Rsrc1-161aa). Deletion of Rsrc1-161aa in mice resulted in impaired male fertility, characterized by decreased sperm count and motility due to mitochondrial energy metabolism dysfunctions. In vitro experiments showed that circRsrc1 regulates mitochondrial functions through its encoded protein Rsrc1-161aa. Mechanistically, Rsrc1-161aa interacts with mitochondrial protein C1qbp to enhance its binding activity to mitochondrial mRNAs, thereby regulating mitochondrial ribosome assembly and translation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jun Yu, Jinfu Xu, Hong Li, Pengfei Wu, Shiyao Zhu, Xiaoyan Huang, Cong Shen, Bo Zheng, Wenqing Li
Summary: This study investigates the distribution of gold nanoparticles in the mouse testes using two injection methods. The results show that gold nanoparticles can be retrogradely transported from the adluminal compartment to the interstitial compartment of the testes via Sertoli cell-mediated endocytosis/exocytosis, causing damage and inflammatory responses.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Li Liu, Haojie Li, Mengjie Wang, Xiangzheng Zhang, Jie Ren, Yan Yuan, Jiahao Sha, Xuejiang Guo
Summary: Epigenetic regulation, specifically histone post-translational modifications (PTMs), is involved in the differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). However, due to the low number of SSCs in vivo, there is a lack of systematic studies on the regulation of histone PTMs during SSCs differentiation. In this study, we used targeted quantitative proteomics with mass spectrometry and RNA-seq data to quantify the dynamic changes of 46 different PTMs on histone H3.1 during SSCs differentiation in vitro. We identified seven differentially regulated histone H3.1 modifications and further identified specific binding proteins for H3K9me2 and H3S10ph, including transcription factors GTF2E2 and SUPT5H, which appear to play a crucial role in the epigenetic regulation of SSC differentiation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Bing Wang, Xiangzheng Zhang, Chen Xu, Xudong Han, Yue Wang, Chenghao Situ, Yan Li, Xuejiang Guo
Summary: The study introduces a new deep learning framework, DeepSP, for protein subcellular localization (PSL) prediction using mass spectrometry-based spatial proteomics data. By capturing detailed changes in protein occupancy profiles across subcellular fractions, DeepSP constructs a new feature map and utilizes a convolutional block attention module to enhance PSL prediction performance. DeepSP demonstrates significant improvement in accuracy and robustness compared to current machine learning predictors, making it a valuable tool for spatial proteomics studies and the understanding of protein function.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Tianyu Zhu, Yuxin Zhang, Xunlun Sheng, Xiangzheng Zhang, Yu Chen, Hongjing Zhu, Yueshuai Guo, Yaling Qi, Yichen Zhao, Qi Zhou, Xue Chen, Xuejiang Guo, Chen Zhao
Summary: We report CEP78 as a causative gene of a particular syndrome including cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) and male infertility with multiple morphological abnormalities of sperm flagella (MMAF) in human and mouse. Cep78 knockout mice exhibited impaired photoreceptor function and morphology, as well as male infertility and MMAF. CEP78 regulates the interaction, stability, and centriolar localization of its interacting protein, and insufficiency of CEP78 or its interacting protein results in abnormal centriole elongation and cilia shortening. Our study supports the important roles of CEP78 defects in centriole and ciliary dysfunctions and molecular pathogenesis of such multi-system syndrome.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jun Yu, Zhiran Li, Yangbo Fu, Feiteng Sun, Xia Chen, Qiuru Huang, Lei He, Hao Yu, Li Ji, Xinmeng Cheng, Yi Shi, Cong Shen, Bo Zheng, Fei Sun
Summary: During spermatogenesis in Drosophila, mitochondrial elongation is crucial for sperm maturation. However, the regulatory mechanism of spermatid mitochondria during elongation is still not well understood. This study demonstrates that ND-42 is essential for male fertility and spermatid elongation in Drosophila by maintaining mitochondrial function and regulating mitochondrial membrane potential and mitochondrial-encoded genes. The findings provide insights into the regulatory mechanism of spermatid elongation.
Article
Cell Biology
Bo Yang, Chao Liu, Xiaohui Ju, Bingbing Wu, Zhuangfei Wang, Fucheng Dong, Yanying Yu, Xiaohui Hou, Min Fang, Fei Gao, Xuejiang Guo, Yaoting Gui, Qiang Ding, Wei Li
Summary: This study generated a mouse model expressing human ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 N gene, allowing for the study of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis in specific tissues or organs. The model supports infection by different SARS-CoV-2 variants and can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of antiviral drugs.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiangling Yu, Bingya Xu, Tingting Gao, Xu Fu, Bing Jiang, Nianchao Zhou, Wenxin Gao, Tiantian Wu, Cong Shen, Xiaoyan Huang, Yibo Wu, Bo Zheng
Summary: The study reveals that RNF187 promotes the proliferation and migration of spermatogonia by degrading KRT36/KRT84 through lysine 48-linked polyubiquitination. This finding suggests a potential therapeutic strategy for infertility caused by abnormal spermatogonia development.
Article
Biology
Xiaoxu Chen, Mingyue Chen, Yuqing Zhu, Haifeng Sun, Yue Wang, Yuan Xie, Lianfu Ji, Cheng Wang, Zhibin Hu, Xuejiang Guo, Zhengfeng Xu, Jun Zhang, Shiwei Yang, Dong Liang, Bin Shen
Summary: A proof-of-concept study demonstrates the potential of using a screened DdCBE pair to correct homoplasmic mitochondrial mutations and restore mitochondrial function in induced pluripotent stem cells.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xudong Han, Bing Wang, Chenghao Situ, Yaling Qi, Hui Zhu, Yan Li, Xuejiang Guo
Summary: This study presents scapGNN, a single-cell data analysis toolkit that utilizes a graph neural network (GNN) to transform sparse single-cell profile data into a stable gene-cell association network. It accurately infers single-cell pathway activity scores and identifies cell phenotype-associated gene modules from single-cell multi-omics data. The systematic benchmarking results demonstrate superior performance of scapGNN compared to state-of-the-art methods in various downstream single-cell analyses.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Tanushree Halder, Elke Stroeher, Hui Liu, Yinglong Chen, Guijun Yan, Kadambot H. M. Siddique
Summary: Improving the root system of wheat is crucial for enhancing grain yield and climate resilience. This study identified proteins associated with root length and root mass in wheat using label-free quantitative proteomics. The findings revealed potential biomarkers that could be used for improving the root system of wheat.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yinhua Pan, Quanqing Zou, Wu Yin, Zhen Huang, Yingzhu Zhao, Zongming Mo, Lihui Li, Jianrong Yang
Summary: A prognostic model of BC based on LNM-related genes was established in this study, providing guidance for prognosis evaluation and precise treatment of BC. The genes related to lymph node metastasis in BC are largely unknown and need further exploration. Searching for potential lymph node metastasis-related genes of BC will provide meaningful biomarkers for BC treatment. Our model, based on TCGA-BRCA data, effectively predicted patient outcomes and classified BC patients. The identified feature genes might have a predictive function in immunotherapy. The results of this study provide a new reference for the prognosis and treatment of BC patients with lymph node metastasis.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Qiushi Liang, Joon M. Pijnenburg, Erikjan Rijkers, Arnold G. Vulto, Ans T. van der Ploeg, Niek P. van Til, Eva C. Vlaar, Jeroen A. A. Demmers, W. W. M. Pim Pijnappel
Summary: Pompe disease is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by glycogen accumulation in skeletal muscle, leading to profound pathology. This study showed that lentiviral gene therapy with LV-IGF2.GAAco can nearly completely correct disease-associated proteomic changes, supporting its future clinical development as a new treatment option for Pompe disease.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Chuang Liu, Wenjing Zhang, Qianli Dong, Haipeng Liu
Summary: This study fills the knowledge gap about the matrix proteins involved in the formation of mineralized exoskeletons in decapod crustaceans. By comparing with well-studied molluscan biomineralization proteins, it is proposed that decapod crustaceans evolved novel proteins while sharing some proteins with molluscs. This study provides insights into the evolution and adaptation of crustaceans and molluscs in forming their exoskeletons.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Rania D. Baka, Josipa Kules, Angelo Beletic, Vladimir Farkas, Dina Resetar Maslov, Blanka Beer Ljubic, Ivana Rubic, Vladimir Mrljak, Mark McLaughlin, David Eckersall, Zoe Polizopoulou
Summary: This study analyzed serum samples from dogs with epilepsy and identified potential markers of epilepsy, proteins involved in nerve tissue regeneration, and proteins altered by antiepileptic medication. The findings provide insight into the pathogenesis of epilepsy and the effects of medication on extracellular matrix proteins.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS
(2024)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Viviane M. Codognoto, Fabiana F. de Souza, Thais R. Cataldi, Carlos A. Labate, Laiza S. de Camargo, Pedro H. Esteves Trindade, Roberto R. da Rosa Filho, Diego J. B. de Oliveira, Eunice Oba
Summary: This study aimed to compare urine proteomics from non- and pregnant buffaloes to identify potential biomarkers of early pregnancy. A total of 798 proteins were reported in the urine considering all groups, and the differential proteins play essential roles during pregnancy.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS
(2024)