PUBLICATION
Rescue of bmp15 deficiency in zebrafish by mutation of inha reveals mechanisms of BMP15 regulation of folliculogenesis
- Authors
- Zhai, Y., Zhang, X., Zhao, C., Geng, R., Wu, K., Yuan, M., Ai, N., Ge, W.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-230916-54
- Date
- 2023
- Source
- PLoS Genetics 19: e1010954e1010954 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Ai, Nana, Ge, Wei
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Activins/genetics
- Animals
- Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15*/genetics
- Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15*/metabolism
- Female
- Inhibins*/genetics
- Inhibins*/metabolism
- Male
- Mutation
- Zebrafish*/genetics
- Zebrafish*/metabolism
- Zebrafish Proteins*/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins*/metabolism
- PubMed
- 37713421 Full text @ PLoS Genet.
Citation
Zhai, Y., Zhang, X., Zhao, C., Geng, R., Wu, K., Yuan, M., Ai, N., Ge, W. (2023) Rescue of bmp15 deficiency in zebrafish by mutation of inha reveals mechanisms of BMP15 regulation of folliculogenesis. PLoS Genetics. 19:e1010954e1010954.
Abstract
As an oocyte-specific growth factor, bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) plays a critical role in controlling folliculogenesis. However, the mechanism of BMP15 action remains elusive. Using zebrafish as the model, we created a bmp15 mutant using CRISPR/Cas9 and demonstrated that bmp15 deficiency caused a significant delay in follicle activation and puberty onset followed by a complete arrest of follicle development at previtellogenic (PV) stage without yolk accumulation. The mutant females eventually underwent female-to-male sex reversal to become functional males, which was accompanied by a series of changes in secondary sexual characteristics. Interestingly, the blockade of folliculogenesis and sex reversal in bmp15 mutant could be partially rescued by the loss of inhibin (inha-/-). The follicles of double mutant (bmp15-/-;inha-/-) could progress to mid-vitellogenic (MV) stage with yolk accumulation and the fish maintained their femaleness without sex reversal. Transcriptome analysis revealed up-regulation of pathways related to TGF-β signaling and endocytosis in the double mutant follicles. Interestingly, the expression of inhibin/activin βAa subunit (inhbaa) increased significantly in the double mutant ovary. Further knockout of inhbaa in the triple mutant (bmp15-/-;inha-/-;inhbaa-/-) resulted in the loss of yolk granules again. The serum levels of estradiol (E2) and vitellogenin (Vtg) both decreased significantly in bmp15 single mutant females (bmp15-/-), returned to normal in the double mutant (bmp15-/-;inha-/-), but reduced again significantly in the triple mutant (bmp15-/-;inha-/-;inhbaa-/-). E2 treatment could rescue the arrested follicles in bmp15-/-, and fadrozole (a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor) treatment blocked yolk accumulation in bmp15-/-;inha-/- fish. The loss of inhbaa also caused a reduction of Vtg receptor-like molecules (e.g., lrplab and lrp2a). In summary, the present study provided comprehensive genetic evidence that Bmp15 acts together with the activin-inhibin system in the follicle to control E2 production from the follicle, Vtg biosynthesis in the liver and its uptake by the developing oocytes.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping