The Testis-specifically Expressed Dpep3 Is Not Essential For Male Fertility In Mice

Spermatogenesis is a very complicated process of cytobiology,Accurate completion of spermatogenesis depends upon the expression and regulation of multiple genes in testis,There are more than 2,300 highly expressed genes in the testis,but the functions of most of these genes in spermatogenesis or male fertility are still unclear.Dpep3 is one of the important members of the GPI-anchored proteins family.We showed that Dpep3 is evolutionarily conserved in human and mouse along with other eutherians.Its mRNA was exclusively detected in testicular tissue and expressed in testes from 7 days postpartum.To further explore its role in Spermatogenesis and male fertility,we generated Dpep3 knockout mice(Dpep3-/-)using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology and found that the male Dpep3-/-mice are fertile despite a significant reduction in sperm count.Histology of testis and progression of meiotic prophase I showed no obvious difference between wild-type and Dpep3-/-mice.All these findings indicate that Dpep3 is not essential for male fertility in mice.These findings will not only Reveal the functions of Dpep3,but also help other researchers to avoid research duplication,save their time and resources to focus on the genes that are indispensable for male fertility.