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BMP–Smad1/9 signaling plays a critical role in regulating zebrafish PGC proliferation

ABSTRACT: The specification and maintenance of germ cell lineage are vital for reproductive development and heredity. The germ cell fate in some species, such as zebrafish and Xenopus, is determined by maternally supplied germ plasm, whereas in mammals it is induced by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling after implantation. It remains elusive whether BMP signaling is implicated in zebrafish germ cell development. Here, we demonstrate that, in zebrafish, BMP–Smad1/9 signaling is required for primordial germ cell (PGC) maintenance but not for PGC fate determination or migration. BMP inhibitor treatment or whole-embryo smad1/9 knockdown reduces the number of PGCs. To investigate cell-autonomous roles of BMP–Smad1/9 in PGCs, we generated PGC-specific smad1/9 knockouts using a double-transgenic approach with PGC-specific expression of Cas9 and ubiquitous expression of guide RNAs (gRNAs). Loss of Smad1/9 in PGCs leads to impaired PGC proliferation and increased apoptosis, resulting in reduced PGC numbers and adult sex bias. Moreover, transcriptome analysis of smad1-deficient PGCs revealed no significant changes in the expression of PGC-specific genes, but a marked upregulation of genes involved in cell cycle checkpoints and DNA damage repair. Notably, ectopic ATR–pChk1 activation in smad1-cKO PGCs validates cell cycle defects and DNA replication stress. ATR inhibition restores PGC numbers in mutant embryos. Collectively, these findings underscore a critical role of BMP–Smad1/9 signaling in zebrafish PGC population maintenance, while it is dispensable for PGC fate determination and migration.

ORGANISM(S): Danio rerio

PROVIDER: GSE299653 | GEO | 2026/02/25

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Maintenance and maturation of primordial germ cells is controlled by complex genetic and epigenetic cascades, and disturbances in this network lead to either infertility or malignant aberration. Transcription factor Tcfap2c / TFAP2C has been described to be essential for primordial germ cell maintenance and to be upregulated in several human germ cell cancers. Using global gene expression profiling, we identified genes deregulated upon loss of Tcfap2c in primordial germ cell-like cells. We show that loss of Tcfap2c affects many aspects of the genetic network regulating germ cell biology, such as downregulation maturation markers and induction of markers indicative of somatic differentiation, cell cycle, epigenetic remodeling, and pluripotency associated genes. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation analyses demonstrated binding of Tcfap2c to regulatory regions of deregulated genes (Sfrp1, Dmrt1, Nanos3, c-Kit, Cdk6, Cdkn1a, Fgf4, Klf4, Dnmt3b and Dnmt3l) suggesting that these genes are direct transcriptional targets of Tcfap2c in primordial germ cells. Since Tcfap2c deficient primordial germ cell like cells display cancer related deregulations in epigenetic remodeling, cell cycle and pluripotency control, the Tcfap2c-knockout allele was bred onto 129S2/Sv genetic background. There, mice heterozygous for Tcfap2c develop germ cell cancer with high incidence. Precursor lesions can be observed as early as E16.5 in developing testes displaying persisting expression of pluripotency markers. We further demonstrate, that mice with a heterozygous deletion of the Tcfap2c target gene Nanos3 are also prone to develop teratoma. These data highlight Tcfap2c as a critical and dose-sensitive regulator of germ cell fate. 8 samples were analyzed. Ctrl ESC: Control mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), 2 biological rep KO ESC: Tcfap2c knock-out mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), 2 biological rep Ctrl PGC: Control mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs), 2 biological rep KO PGC: Tcfap2c knock-out mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs), 2 biological rep

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BMP–Smad1/9 signaling plays a critical role in regulating zebrafish PGC proliferation

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