A novel preimplantation-specific gene Zfp371 is dispensable for early embryonic development

我们已经确定了一个新的小鼠基因Zfp371，可能编码一个SCAN锌指结构域，并在植入前胚胎和胚胎干细胞（ES）中特异性表达。本研究的目的是对其表达模式进行详细分析，并探讨其在早期发育中的功能。该研究表明，Zfp371仅在植入前胚胎和ES细胞中表达。Zfp371敲除小鼠和来自Zfp371敲除囊胚的ES细胞表型正常，但表现出许多随机染色体缺失。这些结果表明ZFP 371可能在基因组稳定性中发挥作用。我们目前的结果表明，可能值得研究小鼠ZFP 371的人类直系同源物在胚胎染色体畸变产生中的潜在作用。

We have identified a novel mouse gene Zfp371 that likely encodes a SCAN zinc finger domain and is expressed specifically in preimplantation embryos and embryonic stem (ES) cells. The aim of this study was to perform a detailed analysis of its expression pattern and investigate its function in early development. This study showed that Zfp371 is expressed exclusively in preimplantation embryos and ES cells. Zfp371 knockout mice and ES cells from Zfp371 knockout blastocysts were phenotypically normal, but demonstrated numerous random chromosomal deletions. These results indicate that Zfp371 may play a role in genome stability.Our current results suggest that it may be worthwhile investigating the potential role of the human ortholog of mouse ZFP371 in the generation of embryonic chromosomal aberrations.