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Stella is a maternal effect gene required for normal early development in mice
Bernhard Payer1, Mitinori Saitou, Sheila C Barton
1Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QR, United Kingdom.
Current Biology : CB
|December 5, 2003
Summary
Stella is a novel gene crucial for early embryonic development. Stella-deficient female mice show reduced fertility, highlighting its role as a maternal effect gene in mammals.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Stella is a novel gene identified in primordial germ cells, oocytes, preimplantation embryos, and pluripotent cells.
- Its protein structure suggests roles in chromosomal organization or RNA processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of the Stella gene through targeted mutation in mice.
- To explore the role of Stella in mammalian oogenesis and preimplantation embryonic development.
Main Methods:
- Generation of targeted Stella null mutant mice.
- Analysis of fertility in Stella-deficient female mice.
- Assessment of preimplantation embryo development in Stella-deficient embryos.
Main Results:
- Stella-deficient female mice exhibit severely reduced fertility.
- Absence of maternal Stella protein compromises oocyte development.
- Embryos lacking Stella show defects in preimplantation development, rarely reaching the blastocyst stage.
- Human STELLA expression is observed in oocytes, pluripotent cells, and germ cell tumors, with chromosome 12p overrepresentation in tumors.
Conclusions:
- Stella functions as a critical maternal effect gene in mice, essential for oocyte integrity and early embryonic development.
- STELLA may play a conserved role in human early development and has potential involvement in germ cell tumors.