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Testis-specific fascin component FSCN3 is dispensable for mouse spermatogenesis and fertility

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Abstract

Background

Fascins belong to a family of actin-bundling proteins that are involved in a wide range of biological functions. FSCN3, a newly identified testis-specific actin-bundling protein, is specifically expressed in elongated spermatids. However, its in vivo function in mouse spermiogenesis remains unknown.

Methods and results

We generated Fscn3 knockout mice through CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology. Fscn3−/− mice displayed normal testis morphology and testis to bodyweight ratio, and sperm concentrations did not differ significantly between Fscn3+/+ and Fscn3−/− mice. Fertility assays consistently revealed that Fscn3−/− mice are completely fertile and their reproductive status does not differ from that of wild-type. Moreover, hematoxylin and eosin staining of the testis sections of Fscn3−/− mice detected various germ cells, ranging from spermatogonia to mature spermatozoa. Furthermore, the swimming velocity of the sperm of Fscn3−/− mice was comparable to that of their wild-type littermates. Both Fscn3+/+ and Fscn3−/−mice had normal sperm morphology, indicating that the disruption of Fscn3 does not affect sperm morphology. The analysis of meiotic prophase I progression demonstrated normal prophase-I phases (leptonema to diplonema) in both Fscn3+/+ and Fscn3−/− mice, suggesting that Fscn3 is not essential for meiosis I.

Conclusion

Our study provides the first evidence that FSCN3 is a testis-specific actin-bundling protein that is not required for mouse spermatogenesis. Our results will help reproductive biologists focus their efforts on genes that are crucial for fertility and avoid research duplication.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Developmental Program of China (Grant Nos. 2018YFC1003403 and 2016YFC1000600), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31890780 and 31630050), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB19000000), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. YD2070002006).

Funding

This work was supported by National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) [Grant Nos. 2018YFC1004700 and 2016YFC1000600], Innovative Research Group Project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant Nos. 31890780, 31630050], the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences [Grant No. XDB19000000], Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities [Grant No. YD2070002006].

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Author notes

  1. Haider Ali, Ahsanullah Unar contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China

    Haider Ali, Ahsanullah Unar, Sobia Dil, Imtiaz Ali, Khalid Khan, Ihsan Khan & Qinghua Shi

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  1. Haider Ali
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  2. Ahsanullah Unar
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  7. Qinghua Shi
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Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: QS, HA. Performed the experiments: HA, SD, AUU, KK. Analyzed the data: HA, SD, AUU, IA. Wrote the paper: HA, SD, AUU.

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Correspondence to Qinghua Shi.

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All experiments and examination on laboratory animals were conducted according to the institutional rules of the Institutional Animal Care Committee of the University of Science and Technology of China.

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Ali, H., Unar, A., Dil, S. et al. Testis-specific fascin component FSCN3 is dispensable for mouse spermatogenesis and fertility. Mol Biol Rep 49, 6261–6268 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07429-7

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