title: Mouse ZAR1-like (XM_359149) colocalizes with mRNA processing components and its dominant-negative mutant caused two-cell-stage embryonic arrest.
abstract: Maternal effect genes and encoding proteins are necessary for nuclear reprogramming and zygotic genome activation. However, the mechanisms that mediate these functions are largely unknown. Here we identified XM_359149, a Zar1-like gene that is predominantly expressed in oocytes and zygotes, which we designated Zar1-like (Zar1l). ZAR1L-EGFP formed multiple cytoplasmic foci in late two-cell-stage embryos. Expression of the ZAR1L C-terminus induced two-cell-stage embryonic arrest, accompanied with abnormal methylation of histone H3K4me2/3 and H3K9me2/3, and marked down-regulation of a group of chromatin modification factors including Dppa2, Dppa4, and Piwil2. When ectopically expressed in somatic cells, ZAR1L colocalized with P-body components including EIF2C1(AGO1), EIF2C2(AGO2), DDX6 and LSM14A, and germline-specific chromatoid body components including PIWIL1, PIWIL2, and LIN28. ZAR1L colocalized with ZAR1 and interacted with human LIN28. Our data suggest that ZAR1L and ZAR1 may comprise a novel family of processing-body/chromatoid-body components that potentially function as RNA regulators in early embryos.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Fengchao
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaoquan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Mingxiao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Shaorong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D060565:Argonaute Proteins; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine; D002460:Cell Line; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases / Q000378:metabolism; D004527:Egg Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D047108:Embryonic Development; D015852:Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D039642:Eukaryotic Initiation Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: C549050:Ago1 protein, mouse; C526735:Ago2 protein, mouse; D060565:Argonaute Proteins; D004527:Egg Proteins; D015852:Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2; D039642:Eukaryotic Initiation Factors; D006657:Histones; C549049:LSM14A protein, mouse; C488352:Lin-28 protein, mouse; C000715187:Lin28A protein, human; C448522:Piwil1 protein, mouse; C448521:Piwil2 protein, mouse; D011506:Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C549048:ZAR1L protein, mouse; C471630:Zar1 protein, mouse; D012319:RNA Polymerase II; C490616:Ddx6 protein, mouse; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine