Molecular Mechanisms of Germ Cell Formation

对生殖细胞分化的深入了解对生殖和发育生物学的各个方面都至关重要。为了增加我们的基本知识，我们用小鼠、两栖动物、鱼类和果蝇研究了生殖细胞形成的分子和细胞机制。我们的研究结果包括：1。(1)促性腺激素、11-酮睾酮（11-KT）、11-KT受体、激活素I型和II型受体以及多种CDK/周期蛋白复合物对日本鳗鲡精子发生的启动至关重要；(2)罗非鱼卵巢分化对雌激素的依赖性；(3)阐明金鱼卵母细胞MPF激活/失活机制。2. (1)鉴定WT-1、激活素和IGF-I作为fsh诱导的蝾螈睾丸精原细胞分化和减数分裂起始的介质；(2)催乳素在蝾螈精原细胞凋亡中的重要作用。3. (1) Nanos和Pumilio蛋白参与果蝇发育过程中极性细胞向性腺迁移的调控；(2)新基因indora在果蝇极细胞分化过程中所起的重要作用。4. (1)发现神经调节蛋白b/ErbB3是小鼠原始生殖细胞（PGC）发育的关键因子；(2)小鼠外胚层在5.5 ~ 6.0 dpc培养中自主分化为PGCs的能力。5. (1)果蝇早期胚胎发育过程中，X/A比值通过转录调控Sxl的表达；(2)斑马鱼DAZ同源物作为生殖细胞发育介质的特性。6. (1)小鼠精卵结合新基因calmegin的本质；(2)鉴定了80多个在小鼠睾丸单倍体生殖细胞中特异性表达的克隆

A solid understanding of germ cell differentiation is critical to virtually all aspects of reproductive and developmental biology. To increase our basic knowledge, the molecular and cellular mechanisms of germ cell formation were investigated using mice, amphibians, fishes and Drosophila. Our findings include : 1. (1) The critical importance of gonadotropin, 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), 11-KT receptors, activin type I and II receptors and several CDK/cyclin complexes to initiating spermatogenesis in Japanese eel ; (2) the dependence of ovarian differentiation on estrogen in tilapia ; (3) elucidation of the MPF activation/inactivation mechanisms in goldfish oocytes. 2. (1) Identification of WT-1, activin and IGF-I as mediators of FSH-induced spermatogonial differentiation and initiation of meiosis in newt testes ; (2) The important role of prolactin in newt spermatogonial apoptosis. 3. (1) The involvement of the Nanos and Pumilio proteins in regulating polar cell migration to the gonads during Drosophila development ; (2) the essential role the novel gene indora plays during differentiation of Drosophila polar cells. 4. (1) Identification of neuregulin-b/ErbB3 as a critical factor for primordial germ cell (PGC) development in mice ; (2) the ability of the mouse epiblast to autonomously differentiate into PGCs in culture between 5.5 and 6.0 dpc. 5. (1) The X/A ratio transcriptionally regulates Sxl expression during early embryogenesis in Drosophila ; (2) characterization of a zebrafish DAZ homologue as a mediator of germ cell development. 6. (1) The essential nature of calmegin, a novel gene, for sperm-egg binding in mouse ; (2) identification of more than 80 clones that are specifically expressed in the haploid germ cells of mouse testes