A role for Dazl in commitment to gametogenic fate in embryonic germ cells of C57BL/6 mice

Germ cells can be defined as the cells that undergo the terminal differentiating process of meiosis. In mice, as XX germ cells enter meiosis around Embryonic days 13.5-14.5 (E13.5-E14.5), they form meiotic figures and down-regulate pluripotency markers. XY germ cells enter proliferation arrest between E13.5 and E16.5, which is accompanied by a distinct morphological change as well. Disruption of mouse Dazl, a member of a germ-cell-specific gene family found in many metazoans, causes infertility due to germ cell loss. However the nature and timing of germ cell loss has proven variable in the mixed background mice studied thus far, and the focus has traditionally been on the postnatal spermatogenic phenotype. Here I report a role for Dazl in both XX and XY embryonic germ cell development in a C57BL/6 genetic background. I find that Dazl transcript is expressed in the XX and XY gonads starting from around E11.5. XX and XY Dazl -/- germ cells appear to arrest around E13.5 in the last cell type XX and XY germ cells share morphologically. In this, they resemble embryonic XX germ cells deficient for Stra8, a gene required for meiotic initiation.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Lin, Yanfeng

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• David C. Page.

• Biology.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/33750
• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Identifier URI

http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/33750

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/33750