2008/12/12 by Yanfeng Lin, Mark E. Gill, Jana Koubova +1 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · #DNA Repair Mechanisms #Reproductive Biology and Fertility #CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
paper · doi:10.1126/science.1166340
openalex publication_date 2008/12/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Retinoic acid (RA) is an essential extrinsic inducer of meiotic initiation in mammalian germ cells. However, RA acts too widely in mammalian development to account, by itself, for the cell-type and temporal specificity of meiotic initiation. We considered parallels to yeast, in which extrinsic and intrinsic factors combine to restrict meiotic initiation. We demonstrate that, in mouse embryos, extrinsic and intrinsic factors together regulate meiotic initiation. The mouse RNA-binding protein DAZL, which is expressed by postmigratory germ cells, is a key intrinsic factor, enabling those cells to initiate meiosis in response to RA. Within a brief developmental window, Dazl-expressing germ cells in both XX and XY embryos actively acquire the ability to interpret RA as a meiosis-inducing signal.