bioRxiv Science⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.12.30.522301

Phenotypical Rescue of Bmp15 Deficiency by Mutation of Inhibin α (inha) Provides Novel Clues to How Bmp15 Controls Zebrafish Folliculogenesis

Zhai, Y.·Zhao, C.·Geng, R.·Wu, K.·Yuan, M.·Ai, N.·Ge, W.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

As an oocyte-specific growth factor, bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) plays a critical role in controlling folliculogenesis. However, the mechanism of BMP15 action remains elusive. Using zebrafish as the model, we created a bmp15 mutant using CRISPR/Cas9 and demonstrated that bmp15 deficiency caused a significant delay in follicle activation and puberty onset followed by complete arrest of follicle development at previtellogenic stage without yolk accumulation. The mutant females eventually underwent female-to-male sex reversal to become functional males, which was accompanied by a series of changes in secondary sexual characteristics. Interestingly, the blockade of folliculogenesis and sex reversal in bmp15 mutant could be rescued by the loss of inhibin (inha-/-). The follicles of double mutant (bmp15-/-;inha-/-) could progress to mid-vitellogenic stage with yolk accumulation and the fish maintained their femaleness without sex reversal. Transcriptome analysis revealed up-regulation of pathways related to TGF-{beta} signaling and endocytosis in the double mutant follicles. Intriguingly, the expression of inhibin/activin {beta}Aa subunit (inhbaa) increased significantly in the double mutant ovary. Further knockout of inhbaa in the triple mutant (bmp15-/-;inha-/-;inhbaa-/-) resulted in the loss of yolk granules again in the oocytes although the follicles could continue to grow beyond the size range of previtellogenic stage. The serum levels of estradiol (E2) and vitellogenin (Vtg) both decreased significantly in bmp15 single mutant females, returned to normal in the double mutant (bmp15-/-;inha-/-), but reduced again significantly in the triple mutant (bmp15-/-;inha-/-;inhbaa-/-). E2 treatment could rescue the vitellogenic follicles in bmp15-/-, and fadrozole (a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor) treatment blocked yolk accumulation in bmp15-/-;inha-/- fish. In summary, the present study provided comprehensive genetic evidence for the interaction of bmp15 pathways and the activin-inhibin system in regulating folliculogenesis, in particular E2 production from the follicle, Vtg biosynthesis in the liver and its update by the developing oocytes.

Explore related subjects

developmental biologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Zhai, Y., Zhao, C., Geng, R., Wu, K., Yuan, M., Ai, N., Ge, W.. 2022-12-30. Phenotypical Rescue of Bmp15 Deficiency by Mutation of Inhibin α (inha) Provides Novel Clues to How Bmp15 Controls Zebrafish Folliculogenesis. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.30.522301

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Hyaluronic acid dynamics are regulated by neural crest cells and NEDD4 in the developing cardiac outflow tract valves

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for cardiac valve development, with hyaluronic acid (HA) playing a critical role in cardiac cushion formation. While HA is required for atrioventricular valve development, its role in semilunar valve formation remains poorly understood. The ubiquitin ligase NEDD4 is essential for cardiac outflow tract development, particularly within cardiac neural crest cells, however its role in semilunar valve development has been unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that neural crest-specific deletion of NEDD4 in mice disrupts outflow tract valve development, resulting in abnormal leaflet number and morphology. Analysis of valve ECM revealed a specific reduction in HA within the neural crest-derived valve mesenchyme, while other ECM components such as fibronectin and versican remained unaffected. In contrast, deletion of NEDD4 in endocardium-derived valve mesenchyme did not alter HA abundance. Using NEDD4-deficient neural crest cells, we further demonstrate a cell-autonomous requirement for NEDD4 in regulating HA abundance, with in vitro evidence supporting impaired HA synthesis rather than increased turnover of HA in the ECM. Our findings identify a previously unrecognised role for NEDD4 in regulating HA synthesis in cardiac neural crest cells, revealing a cell-type-specific mechanism governing semilunar valve development and highlighting distinct cellular requirements for ECM regulation across cardiac valve populations.

developmental biology↗
bioRxiv2026

Endogenous Mechanical Reporters Encode the Global Mechanical Landscape of Morphogenesis

Developmental systems usually comprise multiple genetically programmed morphogenetic events within a mechanically continuous environment, yet how individual processes interact and contribute to the overall mechanical landscape remains unknown. Here, we introduce the concept of mechanical reporter: endogenous tissues function as in situ probes of the embedded mechanical landscape. We exemplified cephalic furrow (CF) migration as a mechanical reporter in gastrulating Drosophila. Using optogenetics and genetics, we revealed that CF displacement reflects the combined effect of both force and tissue mechanical properties. By incorporating condition-specific mechanical landscape into a continuum minimal-response model, we developed a framework to quantitatively predict the reporter dynamics. Using different genetic mutants, we successfully decoded changes in the mechanical landscape from CF dynamics in gastrulating Drosophila. Overall, we established a predictive framework that uses CF dynamics to infer changes in the global mechanical landscape. Beyond this, the concept of mechanical reporter provides a general strategy for systematically understanding and decoding complex mechanical environments in living systems.

developmental biology↗
bioRxiv2026

Dissecting human embryonic patterning during organogenesis reveals a rostral midline progenitor population for mesoendoderm induction

Understanding how human organogenesis is accomplished via intricate spatiotemporal patterning of organ primordia requires spatial atlases at cellular resolution. However, existing human embryo spatial atlases are built using sequencing-based platforms such as Stereo-seq, which have limited spatial resolution and blurred anatomical boundaries, leading to misclassification across adjacent cells. Here, we integrate in situ imaging-based transcriptomics (Xenium) with transcriptome-wide spatial profiling (Visium-HD) of Carnegie stages 9-12 embryos to delineate the patterning of core embryonic tissues at single-cell resolution, including the brain, spinal cord, somites, neural crest, notochord, heart, and gut tube. A new finding enabled by spatial single-cell resolution is the identification of rostral midline progenitors (RMPs), a cell population co-expressing SOX2, TBXT, and OTX2. Transcriptionally, RMPs are distinct from both neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) and prechordal mesoderm, and in vivo clonal barcoding in mice indicates that RMPs share a common developmental origin with rostral neural ectoderm. To interrogate their functional significance, we leveraged our spatial transcriptome data to recapitulate RMP-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells and showed that these cells can induce epiblast-like cells to acquire mesendodermal and endodermal fates, while themselves adopting an ectodermal fate consistent with their in vivo counterparts. This work provides a 3D, stage-resolved molecular cell atlas of tissue patterning in human embryo that serves as a reference for in vitro models.

developmental biology↗