Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 29, 2026

Mouse Round Spermatid Injection
08:41

Mouse Round Spermatid Injection

Published on: January 26, 2024

Mili, a mammalian member of piwi family gene, is essential for spermatogenesis

Satomi Kuramochi-Miyagawa1, Tohru Kimura, Takashi W Ijiri

  • 1Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamada-oka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.

Development (Cambridge, England)
|January 23, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Mouse Piwi-like 1 (MILI) is crucial for male fertility. MILI-deficient mice exhibit blocked spermatogenesis and sterility, highlighting its essential role in spermatocyte differentiation.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Reproductive Biology

Background:

  • Piwi family genes are vital for stem cell self-renewal and gene silencing.
  • Understanding mammalian Piwi homologs is key to deciphering their roles in development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the function of the mouse Piwi homolog, Mili.
  • To determine the role of MILI in mammalian germ cell development and fertility.

Main Methods:

  • Generation and analysis of mice with targeted mutations in the Mili gene (MILI-null mice).
  • Phenotypic analysis of germ cell development and spermatogenesis in mutant mice.
  • Co-immunoprecipitation assays to assess protein interactions between MILI and MVH.

Main Results:

  • MILI-null mice were sterile due to complete blockage of spermatogenesis at the early meiotic prophase (zygotene to early pachytene).
  • Primordial germ cell development and female germ cell production were unaffected.
  • MILI physically bound to MVH, a known factor in early spermatocyte development.

Conclusions:

  • MILI is essential for spermatocyte differentiation and male fertility in mice.
  • The physical interaction between MILI and MVH suggests a functional association in post-transcriptional regulation during spermatogenesis.

More Related Videos

A Seminiferous Tubule Squash Technique for the Cytological Analysis of Spermatogenesis Using the Mouse Model09:40

A Seminiferous Tubule Squash Technique for the Cytological Analysis of Spermatogenesis Using the Mouse Model

Published on: February 6, 2018

Isolation of Murine Spermatogenic Cells using a Violet-Excited Cell-Permeable DNA Binding Dye08:21

Isolation of Murine Spermatogenic Cells using a Violet-Excited Cell-Permeable DNA Binding Dye

Published on: January 14, 2021

Related Concept Videos

piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs02:57

piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs

PIWI-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, are the most abundant short non-coding RNAs. More than 20,000 genes have been found in humans that code for piRNAs while only 2000 genes have been found for miRNAs. piRNAs can act at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and have a vital role in silencing transposable elements present in germ cells. They are also involved in epigenetic silencing and activation. Previously, they were thought to function only in germ cells but new evidence suggests...
Spermatogenesis01:41

Spermatogenesis

Spermatogenesis is the process by which haploid sperm cells are produced in the male testes. It starts with stem cells located close to the outer rim of seminiferous tubules. These spermatogonial stem cells divide asymmetrically to give rise to additional stem cells (meaning that these structures “self-renew”), as well as sperm progenitors, called spermatocytes. Importantly, this method of asymmetric mitotic division maintains a population of spermatogonial stem cells in the male reproductive...
Spermatogenesis01:22

Spermatogenesis

Spermatogenesis is a complex process that involves the development of sperm cells from undifferentiated stem cells in the seminiferous tubules of the testes. The process is essential for the production of mature and functional sperm cells that are capable of fertilizing an egg.
The process of spermatogenesis can be divided into mitosis, meiosis, and spermiogenesis. During mitosis, the spermatogonia or stem cells divide to produce two identical daughter cells, type A and B spermatogonia. Type-A...
Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins02:26

Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins

Protein domains are small structurally independent units that are part of a single amino acid chain.  Although these domains are often structurally independent, they may rely on synergistic effects to perform their functions as part of a larger protein. Protein domains may be conserved within the same organism, as well as across different organisms.
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to form...
Meiosis I03:09

Meiosis I

Meiosis is the division of a diploid cell into haploid cells forming sperm and eggs in animals through differentiation. Meiosis I is the first stage of meiosis, where the genetic recombination of homologous chromosomes and the reduction of the ploidy level by half occurs.
Prophase I is the most extended and complex step of meiosis I characterized by synapsis, chromosome pairing, and recombination of the homologous chromosomes. This process is facilitated by a proteinaceous structure called the...
Hedgehog Signaling Pathway02:33

Hedgehog Signaling Pathway

The Hedgehog gene (Hh) was first discovered due to its control of the growth of disorganized, hair-like bristles phenotype in Drosophila, much like hedgehog spines. Hh plays a crucial role in the development of organs and the maintenance of homeostasis in both invertebrates and vertebrates. However, while Drosophila has only one Hh protein, mammals have multiple functional Hedgehog proteins - Sonic (Shh), Desert (Dhh), and Indian Hedgehog (Ihh). All of these homologous proteins have adapted to...