Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026
07:40
Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis
Published on: January 4, 2017
Thoc1/Hpr1/p84 is essential for early embryonic development in the mouse
Xiaoling Wang1, Yanjie Chang, Yanping Li
1Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY 14263, USA.
Molecular and Cellular Biology
|May 18, 2006
Summary
The Thoc1 protein, essential for early mouse embryonic development, is required for cell viability around implantation. Loss of Thoc1 causes developmental arrest, unlike its yeast counterpart Hpr1p which is not essential for yeast viability.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The TREX complex links RNA polymerase II to RNA processing and export, crucial for gene expression.
- Hpr1p, a key TREX component in yeast, is vital for transcription, RNA export, and genome stability, but not essential for yeast viability.
- A functional orthologue, Thoc1 (also known as Hpr1 or p84), exists in metazoans, but its physiological roles remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the physiological functions of Thoc1 in mammalian development.
- To characterize the phenotype of mice lacking functional Thoc1.
Main Methods:
- Generation of mice with a null allele for the Thoc1 gene.
- Phenotypic characterization of heterozygous and homozygous null Thoc1 mice.
- In vitro culture of blastocysts from Thoc1-deficient mice.
Main Results:
- Heterozygous Thoc1 null mice show no discernible phenotype.
- Homozygous null Thoc1 mice are not recovered, indicating embryonic lethality.
- Embryonic development arrests near implantation, with blastocysts showing hatching and outgrowth defects.
- Inner cell mass cells are highly dependent on Thoc1 and rapidly lose viability upon Thoc1 loss.
Conclusions:
- Thoc1 is essential for early embryonic development in mice.
- Unlike its yeast homolog Hpr1p, Thoc1 is indispensable for mammalian viability.
- Thoc1 plays a critical role in blastocyst development and inner cell mass viability.
