Single-cell transcriptomics reveals temporal dynamics of critical regulators of germ cell fate during mouse sex determination
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PROVIDER: PRJNA561617 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:Despite the importance of germ cell differentiation for sexual reproduction, gene networks underlying their fate remain unclear. Here, we describe a comprehensive characterization of gene expression dynamics during sex determination based on single-cell RNA sequencing on 14,750 XX and XY mouse germ cells between embryonic days 10.5 and 16.5. By computational gene regulation inference analysis, we identified sex-specific, sequential waves of master regulator genes during germ cells differentiation and unveiled that the meiotic initiator Stra8 is regulated by positive and negative master regulators acting in an antagonistic fashion. Consistent with the importance of the somatic environment, we found that rare adrenal germ cells exhibit delayed meiosis and display altered expression of master genes controlling the female and male genetic programs. Our study provides a molecular roadmap of germ cell sex determination at single-cell resolution will serve as a valuable resource for future studies of gonad development, function and disease.
2020-11-30 | GSE136220 | GEO
Project description:Avian sex is determined by various factors, such as the dosage of DMRT1 and cell-autonomous mechanisms. While the sex-determination mechanism in gonads is well analyzed, the mechanism in germ cells remains unclear. In this study, we explored the gene expression profiles of male and female primordial germ cells (PGCs) during embryogenesis in chickens to predict the mechanism of sex-determination. Male and female PGCs were isolated from blood and gonads with a purity > 96% using flow cytometry and analyzed using RNA-seq. Prior to settlement in the gonads, female circulating PGCs (cPGCs) obtained from blood displayed sex-biased expression. Gonadal PGCs (gPGCs) also displayed sex-biased expression, and the number of female-biased genes detected was higher than male-biased genes. The female-biased genes in gPGCs were enriched in some metabolic processes. To reveal the mechanisms underlying the transcriptional regulation of female-biased genes in gPGCs, we performed stimulation tests. Stimulation with retinoic acid against cultured gPGCs derived from male embryos resulted in the upregulation of several female-biased genes. Overall, our results suggest that sex determination of avian PGCs possess aspects of both cell-autonomous and somatic cell regulation. Moreover, it appears that sex determination occurs earlier in females than in males.
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Project description:Expression profiling of micro RNAs in mouse embryonic gonads before (11.5 days post coitum) and after (13.5 days post coitum) the critical period of sex determination
2012-05-11 | E-MEXP-2252 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Transposable elements are increasingly appreciated as regulatory elements in early mammalian development, especially in cells which exhibit pluripotency. Mammalian primordial germ cells (PGCs) must exit latent pluripotency in a process termed determination before they are competent to differentiate and enter sex-specific developmental programs. Here, we find that determination is marked by large changes to the transposable element (TE) repertoire, a phenomenon driven by TRIM28, after which testicular and ovarian PGCs exhibit district transposable element repertoires. We find that loss of TRIM28 perturbs entry into determination as marked by expression of DAZL in a sex-specific manner, but does not result in a failure to downregulate markers of latent pluripotency, including SOX2 and NANOG in either sex. Despite downregulation of some early PGC markers, both ovarian and testicular PGCs fail to properly enter into their meiotic germ cell or prospermatogonial programs, respectively. Thus, we show that TRIM28-mediated reorganization of the TE repertoire is necessary to establish a PGC epigenome competent for proper germline commitment and gametogenesis.
2025-04-29 | GSE266172 | GEO
Project description:Transposable elements are increasingly appreciated as regulatory elements in early mammalian development, especially in cells which exhibit pluripotency. Mammalian primordial germ cells (PGCs) must exit latent pluripotency in a process termed determination before they are competent to differentiate and enter sex-specific developmental programs. Here, we find that determination is marked by large changes to the transposable element (TE) repertoire, a phenomenon driven by TRIM28, after which testicular and ovarian PGCs exhibit district transposable element repertoires. We find that loss of TRIM28 perturbs entry into determination as marked by expression of DAZL in a sex-specific manner, but does not result in a failure to downregulate markers of latent pluripotency, including SOX2 and NANOG in either sex. Despite downregulation of some early PGC markers, both ovarian and testicular PGCs fail to properly enter into their meiotic germ cell or prospermatogonial programs, respectively. Thus, we show that TRIM28-mediated reorganization of the TE repertoire is necessary to establish a PGC epigenome competent for proper germline commitment and gametogenesis.
2025-04-29 | GSE266176 | GEO
Project description:Transposable elements are increasingly appreciated as regulatory elements in early mammalian development, especially in cells which exhibit pluripotency. Mammalian primordial germ cells (PGCs) must exit latent pluripotency in a process termed determination before they are competent to differentiate and enter sex-specific developmental programs. Here, we find that determination is marked by large changes to the transposable element (TE) repertoire, a phenomenon driven by TRIM28, after which testicular and ovarian PGCs exhibit district transposable element repertoires. We find that loss of TRIM28 perturbs entry into determination as marked by expression of DAZL in a sex-specific manner, but does not result in a failure to downregulate markers of latent pluripotency, including SOX2 and NANOG in either sex. Despite downregulation of some early PGC markers, both ovarian and testicular PGCs fail to properly enter into their meiotic germ cell or prospermatogonial programs, respectively. Thus, we show that TRIM28-mediated reorganization of the TE repertoire is necessary to establish a PGC epigenome competent for proper germline commitment and gametogenesis.
2025-04-29 | GSE266173 | GEO
Project description:Accurate specification of female and male germ cells during embryonic development is critical for sexual reproduction. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the bipotential precursors of mature gametes that commit to an oogenic or spermatogenic fate in response to sex-determining cues from the fetal gonad. The critical processes required for PGCs to integrate and respond to signals from the somatic environment in gonads are not understood. In this study, we developed the first single-nucleus multiomics map of chromatin accessibility and gene expression during murine PGC development in both XX and XY embryos. Profiling of cell-type specific transcriptomes and regions of open chromatin from the same cell captured the molecular signatures and gene networks underlying PGC sex determination. Joint RNA and ATAC data for single PGCs resolved previously unreported PGC subpopulations and cataloged a multimodal reference atlas of differentiating PGC clusters. We discovered that regulatory element accessibility precedes gene expression during PGC development, suggesting that changes in chromatin accessibility may prime PGC lineage commitment prior to differentiation. Similarly, we found that sexual dimorphism in chromatin accessibility and gene expression increased temporally in PGCs. Combining single-nucleus sequencing data, we computationally mapped the cohort of transcription factors that regulate the expression of sexually dimorphic genes in PGCs. For example, the gene regulatory networks of XX PGCs are enriched for the transcription factors, TFAP2c, TCFL5, GATA2, MGA, NR6A1, TBX4, and ZFX. Sex-specific enrichment of the forkhead-box and POU6 families of transcription factors was also observed in XY PGCs. Finally, we determined the temporal expression patterns of WNT, BMP, and RA signaling during PGC sex determination, and our discovery analyses identified potentially new cell communication pathways between supporting cells and PGCs. Our results illustrate the diversity of factors involved in programming PGCs towards a sex-specific fate.
2025-03-19 | GSE288206 | GEO
Project description:Prediction of sex-determination mechanisms in avian primordial germ cells using RNA-seq analysis
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