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Conserved Mechanisms for Germ Cell-Specific Localization of nanos3 Transcripts in Teleost Species with Aquaculture Significance

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Abstract

The importance of the aquaculture production is increasing with the declining global fish stocks, but early sexual maturation in several farmed species reduces muscle growth and quality, and escapees could have a negative impact on wild populations. A possible solution to these problems is the production of sterile fish by ablation of the embryonic primordial germ cells (PGCs), a technique developed in zebrafish. Cell-specific regulation of mRNA stability is crucial for proper specification of the germ cell lineage and commonly involves microRNA (miRNA)-mediated degradation of targeted mRNAs in somatic cells. This study reports on the functional roles of conserved motifs in the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of the miRNA target gene nanos3 identified in Atlantic cod, Atlantic salmon, and zebrafish. The 3′UTR of cod nanos3 was sufficient for targeting the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) to the presumptive PGCs in injected embryos of the three phylogenetically distant species. 3′UTR elements of importance for PGC-specific expression were further examined by fusing truncated 3′UTR variants of cod nanos3 to GFP followed by injections in zebrafish embryos. The expression patterns of the GFP constructs in PGCs and somatic cells suggested that the proximal U-rich region is responsible for the PGC-specific stabilization of the endogenous nanos3 mRNA. Morpholino-mediated downregulation of the RNA-binding protein Dead end (DnD), a PGC-specific inhibitor of miRNA action, abolished the fluorescence of the PGCs in cod and zebrafish embryos, suggesting a conserved DnD-dependent mechanism for germ cell survival and migration.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Anne Grethe Hestnes for excellent assistance with microscopy and Hanne Johnsen for preparing cod embryos for WISH analysis. Salmon and cod miR-430 sequences were kindly provided by Julian Hamfjord and Steinar Johansen. The study was financially supported by the Norwegian Research Council (project number 190371).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nofima, Osloveien 1, 1432, Aas, Norway

    Adrijana Škugor, Jacob Seilø Torgersen & Øivind Andersen

  2. Max-Planck Institute of Neurobiology, 82152, Martinsried, Germany

    Krasimir Slanchev

  3. Nofima, Muninbakken 9-13, 9291, Tromsø, Norway

    Helge Tveiten

  4. Department of Animal and Aquaculture Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432, Aas, Norway

    Øivind Andersen

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  1. Adrijana Škugor
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  2. Krasimir Slanchev
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  3. Jacob Seilø Torgersen
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  4. Helge Tveiten
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  5. Øivind Andersen
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Correspondence to Øivind Andersen.

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Škugor, A., Slanchev, K., Torgersen, J.S. et al. Conserved Mechanisms for Germ Cell-Specific Localization of nanos3 Transcripts in Teleost Species with Aquaculture Significance. Mar Biotechnol 16, 256–264 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-013-9543-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-013-9543-y

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