Caenorhabditis elegans homologue of the human azoospermia factor DAZ is required for oogenesis but not for spermatogenesis

• Published in: Development (Cambridge) Vol. 127; no. 5; pp. 1069 - 1079
• Main Authors: Karashima, T, Sugimoto, A, Yamamoto, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England The Company of Biologists Limited 01.03.2000
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; azoospermia factor; Base Sequence; boule gene; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans - physiology; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - chemistry; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - metabolism; Cloning, Molecular; Crosses, Genetic; DAZ gene; daz1 gene; Dazla gene; Deleted in Azoospermia 1 Protein; Disorders of Sex Development; Female; gld-1 gene; Humans; Male; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Oligospermia; Oogenesis - physiology; Recombinant Proteins - metabolism; RNA-Binding Proteins - chemistry; RNA-Binding Proteins - genetics; RNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Spermatogenesis - physiology
• ISSN: 0950-1991; 1477-9129
• DOI: 10.1242/dev.127.5.1069

DAZ (Deleted in Azoospermia), the putative azoospermia factor gene in human, encodes a ribonucleoprotein-type RNA-binding protein required for spermatogenesis. A Drosophila homologue of DAZ, called boule, is also essential for spermatogenesis. A mouse homologue, Dazla, is implicated in both spermatogenesis and oogenesis. Here, we report the identification and characterization of daz-1, the single DAZ homologue in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Loss of daz-1 function caused sterility in hermaphrodites, by blocking oogenesis at the pachytene stage of meiosis I. Epistasis analysis suggested that this gene executes its function succeeding gld-1, which governs the early pachytene stage in the oogenic pathway. Spermatogenesis did not appear to be affected in daz-1 hermaphrodites. Males defective in daz-1 produced sperm fully competent in fertilization. Analysis employing sex-determination mutants indicated that the daz-1 function was required for meiosis of female germline regardless of the sex of the soma. Transcription of daz-1 was restricted to the germline, starting prior to the onset of meiosis and was most conspicuous in cells undergoing oogenesis. Thus, daz-1 in C. elegans is an essential factor for female meiosis but, unlike other DAZ family members so far reported, it is dispensable for male meiosis.