title: Conserved role of Ovo in germline development in mouse and Drosophila.
abstract: Ovo, which encodes a transcription factor with Zn-finger domains, is evolutionarily conserved among animals. In Drosophila, in addition to its zygotic function for egg production, maternal ovo activity is required in primordial germ cells (PGCs) for expression of germline genes such as vasa and nanos. In this study, we found that maternal Ovo accumulates in PGC nuclei during embryogenesis. In these cells, ovo serves a dual function: activation of genes expressed predominantly in PGCs, and conversely suppression of somatic genes. Reduction of ovo activity in PGCs makes them unable to develop normally into germ cells of both sexes. In mice, knockout of the ovo ortholog, Ovol2, which is expressed in PGCs, decreases the number of PGCs during early embryogenesis. These data strongly suggest that ovo acts as part of an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that regulates germline development in animals.
authors.affiliation: Life Science Center of Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA Center), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan.|Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.affiliation: Life Science Center of Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA Center), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shinozuka
authors.affiliation: Functional Genomics Facility, NIBB Core Research Facilities, National Institute for Basic Biology, Nishigonaka 38, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shigenobu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Applied Molecular Entomology, Division of Applied Bioscience, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8589, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Mammalian Genome Dynamics, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan.
authors.forename: Michihiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Chemistry, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, 570-8506, Japan.
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.|Mammalian Genome Dynamics, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan.
authors.forename: Kuniya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.affiliation: Life Science Center of Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA Center), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan.|Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004330:Drosophila; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; C491431:MOVO protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors; C089512:ovo protein, Drosophila