| NRF-1 (nuclear respiratory factor 1) is a transcription factor that contains both DNA binding and transcriptional activation domains. NRF-1 is widely expressed among various tissues and regulates the function of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It has reported that NRF-1 can bind to promoters of genes regulating respiratory chain in mitochondria to activate their transcription. However, the function of NRF-1 in mouse germ cell development has not been reported..Our preliminary data indicate the NRF1 regulates germ cell specific gene GASZ. To further investigate the function of NRF1 in germ cell development, we knocked down or upregulated the expression of NRF-1 in a spermatogonial cell line, GC1 cells. GC1 appeared to grow slowly, upon knocking down of NRF1. In addition, the mRNA level of GASZ was upregulated upon ectopic expression of NRF1, indicating that NRF1 plays a role in germ cell proliferation and development. To further understand the physiological role of NRFl, we established NRF-1 conditional knockout mouse model. It will be crossed with germ cell-specific cre mice to determine the function of NRF1 in germ cell specification and maturation at different developmental time points. The study will eventually contribute to our understanding of mitochondria-related role in germ cell development. |
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