PUBLICATION
Srag regulates autophagy via integrating into a preexisting autophagy pathway in testis
- Authors
- Cheng, Y., Lai, F., Wang, X., Shang, D., Zou, J., Luo, M., Xia, X., Cheng, H., Zhou, R.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-200731-5
- Date
- 2020
- Source
- Molecular Biology and Evolution 38(1): 128-141 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Zhou, Rongjia
- Keywords
- autophagy, development, gene network, new gene, reproduction
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- Autophagosomes/physiology
- Autophagy/genetics*
- Biological Evolution*
- Eels/physiology*
- Male
- SOX9 Transcription Factor/metabolism*
- Testis/physiology*
- Zebrafish
- PubMed
- 32722765 Full text @ Mol Bio Evol
Citation
Cheng, Y., Lai, F., Wang, X., Shang, D., Zou, J., Luo, M., Xia, X., Cheng, H., Zhou, R. (2020) Srag regulates autophagy via integrating into a preexisting autophagy pathway in testis. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38(1):128-141.
Abstract
Spermatogenesis is an essential process for producing sperm cells. Reproductive strategy is successfully evolved for a species to adapt to a certain ecological system. However, roles of newly evolved genes in testis autophagy remain unclear. In this study, we found that a newly evolved gene srag (Sox9-regulated autophagy gene) plays an important role in promoting autophagy in testis in the lineage of the teleost Monopterus albus. The gene integrated into an interaction network through a 2-way strategy of evolution, via Sox9-binding in its promoter and interaction with Becn1 in the coding region. Its promoter region evolved a cis element for binding of Sox9, a transcription factor for male sex determination. Both in vitro and in vivo analysis demonstrated that transcription factor Sox9 could bind to and activate the srag promoter. Its coding region acquired ability to interact with key autophagy initiation factor Becn1 via the conserved C-terminal, indicating that srag integrated into preexisting autophagy network. Moreover, we determined that Srag enhanced autophagy by interacting with Becn1. Notably, srag transgenic zebrafish revealed that Srag exerted the same function by enhancing autophagy through the Srag-Becn1 pathway. Thus, the new gene srag regulated autophagy in testis by integrated into preexisting autophagy network.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping