Shimaoka Kazumi, Mukumoto Yoshiko, Tanigawa Yoko, Komiya Tohru
1 Department of Biological Function, Faculty of Science, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi, Osaka 558-0022, Japan.
2 Genetic Engineering Team, RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies, Minatojimaminamimachi, Chuou-ku, Kobe 650-0047, Japan.
Zoolog Sci. 2017 Apr;34(2):93-104. doi: 10.2108/zs160198.
Xenopus vasa-like gene 1 (XVLG1), a DEAD-Box Helicase 4 (DDX4) gene identified as a vertebrate vasa homologue, is required for the formation of primordial germ cells (PGCs). However, it remains to be clarified when and how XVLG1 functions in the formation of the germ cells. To gain a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying XVLG1 during PGC development, we injected XVLG1 morpholino oligos into germ-plasm containing blastomeres of 32-cell stage of Xenopus embryos, and traced cell fates of the injected blastomere-derived PGCs. As a result of this procedure, migration of the PGCs was impaired and the number of PGCs derived from the blastomeres was significantly decreased. In addition, TUNEL staining in combination with in situ hybridization revealed that the loss of PGCs peaked at stage 27 was caused by apoptosis. This data strongly suggests an essential role for XVLG1 in migration and survival of the germ cells.
非洲爪蟾类vasa基因1（XVLG1）是一种被鉴定为脊椎动物vasa同源物的DEAD盒解旋酶4（DDX4）基因，是原始生殖细胞（PGC）形成所必需的。然而，XVLG1在生殖细胞形成过程中的作用时间和方式仍有待阐明。为了更好地理解XVLG1在PGC发育过程中的分子机制，我们将XVLG1吗啉代寡核苷酸注射到非洲爪蟾胚胎32细胞期含有生殖质的卵裂球中，并追踪注射的卵裂球衍生的PGC的细胞命运。通过这个操作，PGC的迁移受到损害，并且来自卵裂球的PGC数量显著减少。此外，TUNEL染色与原位杂交相结合显示，在第27阶段PGC损失达到峰值是由细胞凋亡引起的。这些数据强烈表明XVLG1在生殖细胞的迁移和存活中起着至关重要的作用。
