OTX2 restricts entry to the mouse germline.

ABSTRACT: The successful segregation of germ cells from somatic lineages is vital for sexual reproduction and species survival. In the mouse, primordial germ cells (PGCs), precursors of all germ cells, are induced from the post-implantation epiblast¹. Induction requires BMP4 signalling to prospective PGCs² and the intrinsic action of PGC transcription factors^3-6. However, the molecular mechanisms that connect BMP4 to induction of the PGC transcription factors that are responsible for segregating PGCs from somatic lineages are unknown. Here we show that the transcription factor OTX2 is a key regulator of these processes. Downregulation of Otx2 precedes the initiation of the PGC programme both in vitro and in vivo. Deletion of Otx2 in vitro markedly increases the effic

SUBMITTER: Zhang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6485399 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature