PMID- 33643708
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20220420
IS  - 2167-8359 (Print)
IS  - 2167-8359 (Electronic)
IS  - 2167-8359 (Linking)
VI  - 9
DP  - 2021
TI  - Retinoic Acid Induced Protein 14 (Rai14) is dispensable for mouse 
      spermatogenesis.
PG  - e10847
LID - 10.7717/peerj.10847 [doi]
LID - e10847
AB  - BACKGROUND: Retinoic Acid Induced Protein 14 (Rai14) is an evolutionarily 
      conserved gene that is highly expressed in the testis. Previous experiments have 
      reported that small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated gene knockdown (KD) of Rai14 
      in rat testis disrupted spermatid polarity and transport. Of note, a gene 
      knockout (KO) model is considered the "gold standard" for in vivo assessment of 
      crucial gene functions. Herein, we used CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing to 
      investigate the in vivo role of Rai14 in mouse testis. METHODS: Sperm 
      concentration and motility were assayed using a computer-assisted sperm analysis 
      (CASA) system. Histological and immunofluorescence (IF) staining and transmission 
      electron microscopy (TEM) were used to visualize the effects of Rai14 KO in the 
      testes and epididymides. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-dUTP nick-end 
      labeling (TUNEL) was used to determine apoptotic cells. Gene transcript levels 
      were calculated by real-time quantitative PCR. RESULTS: Rai14 KO in mice depicted 
      normal fertility and complete spermatogenesis, which is in sharp contrast with 
      the results reported previously in a Rai14 KD rat model. Sperm parameters and 
      cellular apoptosis did not appear to differ between wild-type (WT) and KO group. 
      Mechanistically, in contrast to the well-known role of Rai14 in modulating the 
      dynamics of F-actin at the ectoplasmic specialization (ES) junction in the 
      testis, morphological changes of ES junction exhibited no differences between 
      Rai14 KO and WT testes. Moreover, the F-actin surrounded at the ES junction was 
      also comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: In summary, our study 
      demonstrates that Rai14 is dispensable for mouse spermatogenesis and fertility. 
      Although the results of this study were negative, the phenotypic information 
      obtained herein provide an enhanced understanding of the role of Rai14 in the 
      testis, and researchers may refer to these results to avoid conducting redundant 
      experiments.
CI  - (c)2021 Wu et al.
FAU - Wu, Yangyang
AU  - Wu Y
AD  - State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Histology and 
      Embryology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
FAU - Wang, Ting
AU  - Wang T
AD  - Center for Reproduction and Genetics, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, the Affiliated 
      Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China.
FAU - Zhao, Zigao
AU  - Zhao Z
AD  - Yunnan Institute of Population and Family Planning Science and Technology, 
      Kunming, China.
FAU - Liu, Siyu
AU  - Liu S
AD  - State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Histology and 
      Embryology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
FAU - Shen, Cong
AU  - Shen C
AD  - Center for Reproduction and Genetics, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, the Affiliated 
      Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China.
FAU - Li, Hong
AU  - Li H
AD  - Center for Reproduction and Genetics, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, the Affiliated 
      Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China.
FAU - Liu, Mingxi
AU  - Liu M
AD  - State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Histology and 
      Embryology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
FAU - Zheng, Bo
AU  - Zheng B
AD  - Center for Reproduction and Genetics, Suzhou Municipal Hospital, the Affiliated 
      Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China.
FAU - Yu, Jun
AU  - Yu J
AD  - Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Medical School, Nantong University, Nantong, 
      China.
FAU - Huang, Xiaoyan
AU  - Huang X
AD  - State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Histology and 
      Embryology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20210219
PL  - United States
TA  - PeerJ
JT  - PeerJ
JID - 101603425
PMC - PMC7899019
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Ectoplasmic specialization
OT  - F-actin
OT  - Knockout
OT  - Rai14
OT  - Spermatogenesis
COIS- The authors declare there are no competing interests.
EDAT- 2021/03/02 06:00
MHDA- 2021/03/02 06:01
PMCR- 2021/02/19
CRDT- 2021/03/01 05:38
PHST- 2020/10/01 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2021/01/06 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2021/03/01 05:38 [entrez]
PHST- 2021/03/02 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2021/03/02 06:01 [medline]
PHST- 2021/02/19 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 10847 [pii]
AID - 10.7717/peerj.10847 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - PeerJ. 2021 Feb 19;9:e10847. doi: 10.7717/peerj.10847. eCollection 2021.