Biology subjects

Depince, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Depince, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

An ancestral pronephric contribution reveals the multilineage origin of the teleost gonad and revises the evolution of vertebrate gonadogenesis

Challenging the paradigm that pronephric field contribution to gonadal formation would be an amniote innovation, we demonstrate this trait is ancestral to bony vertebrates. Using cell lineage tracing, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and functional validation, we show that the teleost gonad arises from three distinct embryonic tissues, the pronephros, the coelomic epithelium, and the lateral plate mesoderm, in contrast to amniotes. This multi-tissue origin generates an unexpected lineage-based cellular diversity. Further cross-species comparisons over medaka, mouse, chicken and turtle unravel how lineage-specific deviations shape early gonadal development. Specifically, we map these variations amongst the different gene regulatory networks, outlining their physiological implications for specialized gonadal functions. Our results support a model in which heterochronic shifts are coupled to regulatory rewiring of conserved gene networks, driving lineage-specific developmental trajectories through a canalized developmental system drift.

developmental biology↗

bioRxiv2024

The zebrafish as a new model for studying chaperone-mediated autophagy unveils its role in spermatogenesis

Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy (CMA) is a major pathway of lysosomal proteolysis involved in numerous cellular processes, and whose dysfunction is associated to several pathologies. Initially studied in mammals and birds, recent findings have identified CMA in fish, reshaping our understanding of its evolution across metazoans. Given the exciting perspectives this finding offered, we have now developed the required tools to investigate and functionally asses that CMA function in a powerful fish genetic model: the zebrafish (Danio rerio). After adapting and validating a fluorescent reporter (KFERQ-Dendra2; previously used to track CMA in mammalian cells) in zebrafish primary embryonic cells, we first demonstrated CMA functionality in this fish species. Then, we developed a transgenic zebrafish line expressing the KFERQ-Dendra2 CMA reporter, enabling the real-time tracking of CMA activity in vivo. This model revealed heterogeneous CMA responses within tissues, highlighting the zebrafish as a valuable model for investigating tissue-specific and cell-scale variations in CMA. Moreover, a novel role for CMA has been uncovered, acting as a gatekeeper of sperm cell proteostasis, thereby playing a crucial role in the production of active and high-quality spermatozoa. Overall, these findings emphasize the zebrafish as a pivotal model for advancing our comprehension of the fundamental mechanisms underlying CMA.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Somatic cell nuclear transfer in non-enucleated goldfish oocytes: understanding DNA fate during meiosis resumption and first cellular division.

Nuclear transfer consists in injecting a somatic nucleus carrying valuable genetic information into a recipient oocyte to sire a diploid offspring who bears the genome of interest. It requires that the oocyte (maternal) DNA is removed. In fish, because enucleation is difficult to achieve, non-enucleated oocytes are often used and disappearance of the maternal DNA was reported in some clones. The present work explore which cellular events explain spontaneous erasure of maternal DNA, as mastering this phenomenon would circumvent the painstaking procedure of fish oocyte enucleation. The fate of the somatic and maternal DNA during meiosis resumption and first cell cycle was studied using DNA labeling and immunofluorescence in goldfish clones. Maternal DNA was always found as an intact metaphase within the oocyte, and polar body extrusion was minimally affected after meiosis resumption. During the first cell cycle, only 40 % of the clones displayed symmetric cleavage, and these symmetric clones contributed to 80 % of those surviving at hatching. Maternal DNA was often fragmented and located under the cleavage furrow. The somatic DNA was organized either into a normal mitotic spindle or abnormal multinuclear spindle. Scenarios matching the DNA behavior and the embryo fate are proposed.

developmental biology↗