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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #148541
Title: EXPRESSION OF THE ORPHAN NUCLEAR RECEPTOR, GERM CELL NUCLEAR FACTOR, IN MOUSE GONADS AND PREIMPLANTATION EMBRYOS

Author
item LAN, ZI-JIAN - BAYLOR COLLEGE MED
item GU, PEILI - BAYLOR COLLEGE MED
item XU, XUEPING - BAYLOR COLLEGE MED
item Cooney, Austin

Submitted to: Biology of Reproduction
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/5/2002
Publication Date: 1/1/2003
Citation: Lan, Z., Gu, P., Xu, X., Cooney, A. 2003. Expression of the orphan nuclear receptor, germ cell nuclear factor, in mouse gonads and preimplantation embryos. Biology of Reproduction. 68(1):282-289.

Interpretive Summary: This is a peer reviewed article that describes the localization of a factor called GCNF in the ovary and testis. GCNF is a steroid receptor like factor that is found in the sperm and the egg.

Technical Abstract: Germ Cell Nuclear Factor (GCNF, NR6A1) is an orphan member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, and functions as a repressor of gene transcription. GCNF mRNA is expressed in postgastrulation mouse embryos and is required for normal mouse embryonic development. In adult mice, GCNF transcripts are predominantly expressed in spermatogenic cells and growing oocytes of the gonads. To extend this observation to the protein level, we first generated and characterized a specific antibody against GCNF. Using this antibody, we found that GCNF protein was exclusively present in the postmeiotic spermatogenic cells of the testis from 21- and 56-day-old mice. In the ovary, GCNF protein was present in the cytoplasm of oocytes from primary to the preovulatory follicles. GCNF protein was also present in unfertilized oocytes and pre-implantation embryos. The presence of GCNF protein in the adult mouse gonads indicates that GCNF may play a role during gametogenesis. Our results also show that GCNF in early embryos is a maternal protein and could be involved in the regulation of zygotic gene expression and pre-implantation embryonic development.