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Dead-end (dnd) protein in fish—a review

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Abstract

Dead end (dnd) is a germ plasm-specific maternal RNA discovered in zebrafish and then in other vertebrates. Dnd protein is essential for migration and motility of primordial germ cells (PGCs), only cells destined to transfer genetic information to offspring. PGCs arise far from somatic cells of developing gonads and they must migrate to their site of function. Migration of PGCs follows complex path by various developing tissues as their disruption impacts on the fertility. Recently, it has been found that dnd is not required for survival of PGCs and dnd-deficient zebrafish PGCs transdifferentiate into the somatic cells. In fish, targeting dnd causes removal of PGCs that ultimately affects sex differentiation. Sterility in various fish species can be achieved by knockdown or knockout of dnd. In our review, we have discussed dnd as a germ cell-specific molecular marker in fish, its interaction with miRNAs, and its use in aquaculture and fish conservation.

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Funding

The study was financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic—projects “CENAKVA” (No. CZ.1.05/2.1.00/01.0024), “CENAKVA II” (No. LO1205 under the NPU I program), project Biodiversity (CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_025/0007370), by the Czech Science Foundation (17-19714Y) and the Grant Agency of the University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice (projects No. GAJU 079/2017/Z, 034/2017, 125/2016/Z), by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 642893 (IMPRESS).

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  1. South Bohemian Research Center for Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Zatisi 728/II, 389 25, Vodnany, Czech Republic

    Abdul Rasheed Baloch, Roman Franěk, Taiju Saito & Martin Pšenička

  2. Nishiura Station, South Ehime Fisheries Research Center, Ehime University, Uchidomari, Ainan, Ehime, 798-4206, Japan

    Taiju Saito

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  1. Abdul Rasheed Baloch
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Baloch, A.R., Franěk, R., Saito, T. et al. Dead-end (dnd) protein in fish—a review. Fish Physiol Biochem 47, 777–784 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-018-0606-x

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