Cell-fate Transition and Determination Analysis of Mouse Male Germ Cells Throughout Development

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2021 Nov 26

PMID 34824237

Citations 32

Authors

Jiexiang Zhao

Ping Lu

Cong Wan

Yaping Huang

Manman Cui

Xinyan Yang

Yuqiong Hu

Yi Zheng

Ji Dong

Mei Wang

Shu Zhang

Zhaoting Liu

Shuhui Bian

Xiaoman Wang

Rui Wang

Shaofang Ren

Dazhuang Wang

Zhaokai Yao

Gang Chang

Fuchou Tang

Xiao-Yang Zhao

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Mammalian male germ cell development is a stepwise cell-fate transition process; however, the full-term developmental profile of male germ cells remains undefined. Here, by interrogating the high-precision transcriptome atlas of 11,598 cells covering 28 critical time-points, we demonstrate that cell-fate transition from mitotic to post-mitotic primordial germ cells is accompanied by transcriptome-scale reconfiguration and a transitional cell state. Notch signaling pathway is essential for initiating mitotic arrest and the maintenance of male germ cells' identities. Ablation of HELQ induces developmental arrest and abnormal transcriptome reprogramming of male germ cells, indicating the importance of cell cycle regulation for proper cell-fate transition. Finally, systematic human-mouse comparison reveals potential regulators whose deficiency contributed to human male infertility via mitotic arrest regulation. Collectively, our study provides an accurate and comprehensive transcriptome atlas of the male germline cycle and allows for an in-depth understanding of the cell-fate transition and determination underlying male germ cell development.

Citing Articles

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