The zinc transporter ZIP9 (Slc39a9) regulates zinc dynamics essential to egg activation in zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: The zinc transporter ZIP9 (SLC39A9) was recently characterized as a membrane androgen receptor in various teleost and mammalian cell models. ZIP9 shows the highest expression in ovaries of teleosts, a tissue in which both androgen signaling and zinc dynamics have significant roles. To examine the role of ZIP9 in ovarian physiology, we generated a ZIP9-mutant zebrafish strain using a CRISPR/Cas9 system. zip9^-/- females showed significant reductions in fecundity, embryo viability, and growth of their offspring compared to wildtype (WT) fish. Furthermore, a high proportion of zip9^-/- eggs failed to undergo normal chorion elevation during activation. In WT eggs, zinc was detected in cortically-localized vesicles which underwent exocytosis upon activation. zip9^-/-

SUBMITTER: Converse A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7518430 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature