不育癥影響著全球10-15％的育齡夫婦,，生殖細(xì)胞形成異常是造成不育的重要原因之一。復(fù)旦大學(xué)發(fā)育生物學(xué)研究所的最新發(fā)現(xiàn),，“SUN1”蛋白變異是生殖細(xì)胞形成異常的關(guān)鍵因素,。
每個人從父母那兒所獲得的遺傳信息,，決定了個體的生物性狀,。當(dāng)個體把來自父母雙親的一半遺傳信息再傳給子女時,，這些遺傳信息會重新組合(稱為遺傳重組)，以使后代獲得更多的生物多樣性,，促進(jìn)生物的進(jìn)化,。那么，到底是“誰”來啟動遺傳信息減半傳遞和遺傳重組的呢,？
復(fù)旦大學(xué)發(fā)育生物學(xué)研究所的韓珉教授,、徐人爾所帶領(lǐng)的科研小組發(fā)現(xiàn)，“SUN1”蛋白能夠幫助父母雙親來源的染色體結(jié)合到核膜上啟動染色體配對(遺傳信息減半傳遞的第一步)和遺傳重組,。而根據(jù)通過對小鼠的實驗,，如果“SＵN1”基因突變，就會使染色體配對和遺傳重組受阻而不能產(chǎn)生成熟的精子和卵子,，造成突變小鼠不育,。
據(jù)介紹,，該項成果已刊登于6月4日出版的《Developmental Cell》雜志上,，并即將被新一期的《Science》雜志選為“值得關(guān)注的論文”作專門介紹。（生物谷援引東方網(wǎng)）
原始出處:
Developmental Cell, Vol 12, 863-872, 05 June 2007
Article
SUN1 Is Required for Telomere Attachment to Nuclear Envelope and Gametogenesis in Mice
Xu Ding,1,5 Rener Xu,1,5, Juehua Yu,1 Tian Xu,1,2 Yuan Zhuang,1,3 and Min Han1,4,
1 Institute of Developmental Biology and Molecular Medicine and School of Life Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
2 Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06536, USA
3 Department of Immunology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27708, USA
4 Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Corresponding author
Rener Xu
[email protected]
Corresponding author
Min Han
[email protected]
Summary
Prior to the pairing and recombination between homologous chromosomes during meiosis, telomeres attach to the nuclear envelope and form a transient cluster. However, the protein factors mediating meiotic telomere attachment to the nuclear envelope and the requirement of this attachment for homolog pairing and synapsis have not been determined in animals. Here we show that the inner nuclear membrane protein SUN1 specifically associates with telomeres between the leptotene and diplotene stages during meiotic prophase I. Disruption of Sun1 in mice prevents telomere attachment to the nuclear envelope, efficient homolog pairing, and synapsis formation in meiosis. Massive apoptotic events are induced in the mutant gonads, leading to the abolishment of both spermatogenesis and oogenesis. This study provides genetic evidence that SUN1-telomere interaction is essential for telomere dynamic movement and is required for efficient homologous chromosome pairing/synapsis during mammalian gametogenesis.
