title: Zscan4 is expressed specifically during late meiotic prophase in both spermatogenesis and oogenesis.
abstract: Mouse zinc finger and SCAN domain containing 4 (Zscan4) proteins, which are encoded by multiple copies of Zscan4 genes, are expressed specifically in preimplantation embryos in vivo and embryonic stem (ES) cells in vitro. However, the expression patterns of mouse Zscan4 in vivo have been largely elusive. Here, we show that Zscan4 proteins are expressed in adult ovaries and testes. In ovaries, Zscan4 proteins were detected in germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes in antral follicles, indicating that Zscan4 genes are activated during the diplotene/dictyate stage in meiotic prophase I. Remarkably, Zscan4 showed different spatial localization patterns between two distinct GV oocytes, which can be distinguished by global chromatin organization-surrounded nucleolus (SN) and non-surrounded nucleolus (NSN). These spatiotemporal differences in Zscan4 localizations correlated with the transition of RNA polymerase II-mediated transcriptional status during GV oocyte maturation. In testes, Zscan4 proteins were detected in spermatocytes at late pachytene/diplotene stages and in Sertoli cells. These results suggest that Zscan4 may play critical roles during late meiotic prophase in both males and females.
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.|Institute of Molecular Embryology and Genetics, Kumamoto University, 2-2-1 Honjo, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto, 860-0811, Japan.
authors.forename: Kei-Ichiro
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Ishiguro
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, viale Golgi 19, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monti
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Nana
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chikazawa-Nohtomi
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakota
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Saeko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Regenerative Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, viale Golgi 19, 27100, Pavia, Italy.|Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie L. Spallanzani, University of Pavia, via A. Ferrata 9, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo Alberto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Redi
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeru B H
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan. ko.minoru@keio.jp.
authors.forename: Minoru S H
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Ko
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D049469:Meiotic Prophase I / Q000235:genetics; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009866:Oogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors
keywords: ES cell; GV oocyte; Ovary; Preimplantation embryo; SN and NSN oocyte; Testis