Analysis of medaka sox9 orthologue reveals a conserved role in germ cell maintenance.

The sex determining gene is divergent among different animal species. However, sox9 is up-regulated in the male gonads in a number of species in which it is the essential regulator of testis determination. It is therefore often discussed that the sex determining gene-sox9 axis functions in several v...

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Main Authors: Shuhei Nakamura, Ikuko Watakabe, Toshiya Nishimura, Atsushi Toyoda, Yoshihito Taniguchi, Minoru Tanaka
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2012-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3257256?pdf=render
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author Shuhei Nakamura
Ikuko Watakabe
Toshiya Nishimura
Atsushi Toyoda
Yoshihito Taniguchi
Minoru Tanaka
author_facet Shuhei Nakamura
Ikuko Watakabe
Toshiya Nishimura
Atsushi Toyoda
Yoshihito Taniguchi
Minoru Tanaka
author_sort Shuhei Nakamura
collection DOAJ
description The sex determining gene is divergent among different animal species. However, sox9 is up-regulated in the male gonads in a number of species in which it is the essential regulator of testis determination. It is therefore often discussed that the sex determining gene-sox9 axis functions in several vertebrates. In our current study, we show that sox9b in the medaka (Oryzias latipes) is one of the orthologues of mammalian Sox9 at syntenic and expression levels. Medaka sox9b affects the organization of extracellular matrices, which represents a conserved role of sox9, but does not directly regulate testis determination. We made this determination via gene expression and phenotype analyses of medaka with different copy numbers of sox9b. Sox9b is involved in promoting cellular associations and is indispensible for the proper proliferation and survival of germ cells in both female and male medaka gonads. Medaka mutants that lack sox9b function exhibit a seemingly paradoxical phenotype of sex reversal to male. This is explained by a reduction in the germ cell number associated with aberrant extracellular matrices. Together with its identified roles in other vertebrate gonads, a testis-determining role for Sox9 in mammals is likely to have been neofunctionalized and appended to its conserved role in germ cell maintenance.
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spelling doaj.art-c1677f3a5ace447cb7fa79d44e20014f2022-12-21T23:11:56ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032012-01-0171e2998210.1371/journal.pone.0029982Analysis of medaka sox9 orthologue reveals a conserved role in germ cell maintenance.Shuhei NakamuraIkuko WatakabeToshiya NishimuraAtsushi ToyodaYoshihito TaniguchiMinoru TanakaThe sex determining gene is divergent among different animal species. However, sox9 is up-regulated in the male gonads in a number of species in which it is the essential regulator of testis determination. It is therefore often discussed that the sex determining gene-sox9 axis functions in several vertebrates. In our current study, we show that sox9b in the medaka (Oryzias latipes) is one of the orthologues of mammalian Sox9 at syntenic and expression levels. Medaka sox9b affects the organization of extracellular matrices, which represents a conserved role of sox9, but does not directly regulate testis determination. We made this determination via gene expression and phenotype analyses of medaka with different copy numbers of sox9b. Sox9b is involved in promoting cellular associations and is indispensible for the proper proliferation and survival of germ cells in both female and male medaka gonads. Medaka mutants that lack sox9b function exhibit a seemingly paradoxical phenotype of sex reversal to male. This is explained by a reduction in the germ cell number associated with aberrant extracellular matrices. Together with its identified roles in other vertebrate gonads, a testis-determining role for Sox9 in mammals is likely to have been neofunctionalized and appended to its conserved role in germ cell maintenance.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3257256?pdf=render
spellingShingle Shuhei Nakamura
Ikuko Watakabe
Toshiya Nishimura
Atsushi Toyoda
Yoshihito Taniguchi
Minoru Tanaka
Analysis of medaka sox9 orthologue reveals a conserved role in germ cell maintenance.
PLoS ONE
title Analysis of medaka sox9 orthologue reveals a conserved role in germ cell maintenance.
title_full Analysis of medaka sox9 orthologue reveals a conserved role in germ cell maintenance.
title_fullStr Analysis of medaka sox9 orthologue reveals a conserved role in germ cell maintenance.
title_full_unstemmed Analysis of medaka sox9 orthologue reveals a conserved role in germ cell maintenance.
title_short Analysis of medaka sox9 orthologue reveals a conserved role in germ cell maintenance.
title_sort analysis of medaka sox9 orthologue reveals a conserved role in germ cell maintenance
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3257256?pdf=render
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