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DDX6 localizes to nuage structures and the annulus of mammalian spermatogenic cells

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Abstract

The localization of DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box helicase 6 (DDX6) in spermatogenic cells from the mouse, rat, and guinea pig was studied by immunofluorescence (IF) and immunoelectron microscopy (IEM). Spermatogenic cells from these species yielded similar DDX6 localization pattern. IF microscopy results showed that DDX6 localizes to both the nucleus and cytoplasm. In the cytoplasm of spermatogenic cells, diffuse cytosolic and discrete granular staining was observed, with the staining pattern changing during cell differentiation. IEM revealed that DDX6 localized to the five different types of nuage structures and non-nuage structures, including small granule aggregate and late spermatid annuli. Nuclear labeling was strongest in leptotene and zygotene spermatocytes and moderately strong in the nuclear pocket of late spermatids. DDX6 also localized to the surface of outer dense fibers, which comprise of flagella. The results show that DDX6 is present in nuage and non-nuage structures as well as nuclei, suggesting that DDX6 has diverse functions in spermatogenic cells.

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Acknowledgments

The work was supported in part by research funds from Nagasaki International University, a grant-in-aid from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, and Sport (17570158), by science research promotion fund from the Promotion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools of Japan.

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  1. Section of Functional Morphology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagasaki International University, Huis Ten Bosch 2825-7, Sasebo, Nagasaki, 859-329, Japan

    Chika Kawahara, Sadaki Yokota & Hideaki Fujita

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  1. Chika Kawahara
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  2. Sadaki Yokota
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  3. Hideaki Fujita
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Correspondence to Sadaki Yokota.

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Kawahara, C., Yokota, S. & Fujita, H. DDX6 localizes to nuage structures and the annulus of mammalian spermatogenic cells. Histochem Cell Biol 141, 111–121 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-013-1153-2

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