Abstract
The Sox family member Sox30 is highly expressed in the testis of several vertebrate species and has been shown to play key roles in spermiogenesis. However, its transcription regulation remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the Sox30 promoter from the teleost fish Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and predicted a putative cis-regulatory element (CRE) for doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1 (Dmrt1), a male-specific transcription factor involved in male sex differentiation. Transcriptional profiling revealed that Sox30 and Dmrt1 similarly exhibited a high expression in tilapia testes from 90 days after hatching (dah) to 300 dah, and the transcription of the Sox30 gene was reduced about one-fold in the testes of male tilapia with Dmrt1 knockdown. Further dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that Dmrt1 overexpression significantly promoted transcriptional activity of the Sox30 promoter and this promotion was decreased following the mutation of putative CRE for Dmrt1 within the Sox30 promoter. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-based PCR (ChIP-PCR) and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) demonstrated that Dmrt1 directly binds to putative CRE within the Sox30 promoter. These results together indicate that Dmrt1 positively regulates the transcription of the tilapia Sox30 gene by directly binding to specific CRE within the Sox30 promoter.
Highlights
Sox transcription factors, containing a high mobility group (HMG)-box domain for DNA-binding, are common in metazoans and play important roles in various developmental processes, including sex determination, sexual differentiation, gonadal development, neural development [1]
Given that the Sox30 gene is highly expressed in Nile tilapia testis, here, we investigated the regulatory function of doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1 (Dmrt1) on Sox30 transcription in Nile tilapia
Given that transcription factor Dmrt1 is a master regulator in male sex determination and differentiation in teleost and mouse [12,13,17], and Sox30 is predominantly expressed in male gonads in teleost and mouse [4,9,14], we questioned whether the Dmrt1 might be involved in transcriptional regulation of the Sox30 gene
Summary
Sox transcription factors, containing a high mobility group (HMG)-box domain for DNA-binding, are common in metazoans and play important roles in various developmental processes, including sex determination, sexual differentiation, gonadal development, neural development [1]. Doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1 (Dmrt1) contains a zinc finger-like DM domain for DNA binding and is widely considered to be involved in male sex determination, differentiation and maintenance in vertebrates [11,12,13]. In teleosts, such as zebrafish and Nile tilapia, Dmrt is dominantly expressed in the testis [14,15]. Our results demonstrate that Dmrt directly and positively regulated the transcription of the male-biased Sox gene in Nile tilapia testis
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call