Abstract
The mouse testis-enriched Znf230 gene, which encodes a type of RING finger protein, is present primarily in the nuclei of spermatogonia, the acrosome and the tail of spermatozoa. To investigate the role of Znf230 in spermatogenesis, we generated Znf230-deficient mice by disrupting Znf230 exon-5 and exon-6 using homologous recombination. The homozygous Znf230-knockout (KO) mice did not exhibit Znf230 mRNA expression and Znf230 protein production. Znf230 KO mice exhibited no obvious impairment in body growth or fertility. Male Znf230 KO mice had integral reproductive systems and mature sperm that were regular in number and shape. The developmental stages of male germ cells of Znf230 KO mice were also normal. We further examined variations in the transcriptomes of testicular tissue between Znf230 KO and wild-type mice through microarray analysis. The results showed that the mRNA level of one unclassified transcript 4921513I08Rik was increased and that the mRNA levels of three other transcripts, i.e., 4930448A20Rik, 4931431B13Rik and potassium channel tetramerisation domain containing 14(Kctd14), were reduced more than two-fold in Znf230 KO mice compared with wild-type mice. Using our current examination techniques, these findings suggested that Znf230 deficiency in mice may not affect growth, fertility or spermatogenesis.
Highlights
Mammalian spermatozoa development is a complex process that involves the renewal and differentiation of spermatogonia, the meiosis of spermatocytes, and drastic morphological changes accompanying the development from round spermatids to mature spermatozoa (Russell et al, 1990)
Western blot analysis with anti-Znf230 antibody showed that the 26-kDa protein representing Znf230 was present in the testes of wild-type mice, as expected, but it was absent in the testes of Znf230 KO mice (Figure 2F)
Because Znf230 was identified as a testis-enriched gene that likely plays a role in male fertility, we focused our investigation on phenotypes related to male fertility
Summary
Mammalian spermatozoa development is a complex process that involves the renewal and differentiation of spermatogonia, the meiosis of spermatocytes, and drastic morphological changes accompanying the development from round spermatids to mature spermatozoa (Russell et al, 1990). It is necessary to identify these unique genes and characterize the precisely programmed cell- and stagespecific gene expression that occurs during the regulation of the developmental spermatogenesis process. The human gene ZNF230 ( named RNF141), which encodes a type of RING (Really Interesting New Gene) finger protein, was first identified in our laboratory to be restrictively expressed in the testicular tissue of fertile men (Zhang et al, 2001). The expression of the mouse Znf230 gene is developmentally regulated, and the Znf230 protein functions as an activator module in transcription. The mouse Znf230 protein is primarily expressed in the nuclei of spermatogonia but has subsequent expression in the acrosome system and the tails of developing spermatids and spermatozoa (Song et al, 2008). We wondered whether Znf230 may play a role in mammalian spermatogenesis
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