Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
21:01
Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation
Published on: July 17, 2009
TRIM37 interacts with TRIM28 to maintain primordial germ cell identity during migration
Qing Li1,2, Xidi Yin3,4, Chuanyin Li5
1Key Laboratory of Multi-Cell Systems, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Andrology, Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. liqing2015@sibcb.ac.cn.
Cell Research
|July 30, 2026
Summary
The E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM37 safeguards primordial germ cell (PGC) fate by preventing somatic gene activation. TRIM37 deficiency leads to PGC loss and transition to somatic cells.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Repressing somatic gene programs is crucial for establishing germline identity during primordial germ cell (PGC) specification.
- Mechanisms maintaining PGC fate after specification, particularly during migration, are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify molecular mechanisms that safeguard primordial germ cell (PGC) fate during their migration.
- To elucidate the role of the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM37 in maintaining PGC identity.
Main Methods:
- Investigated the function of TRIM37 in PGCs using knockout mouse models.
- Utilized biochemical assays to analyze TRIM37-TRIM28 interactions and ubiquitination.
- Assessed chromatin accessibility and histone modifications (H3K27ac) at somatic gene loci.
Main Results:
- TRIM37 deficiency results in severe PGC defects, including depletion by E12.5 and a shift towards somatic cell states.
- TRIM37 ubiquitinates TRIM28, enhancing their interaction and promoting TRIM37 nuclear retention, which is essential for PGC survival.
- The TRIM37-TRIM28 complex, with AP2γ, represses somatic transcriptional programs by restricting chromatin accessibility and H3K27ac at somatic gene loci.
Conclusions:
- TRIM37 acts as a critical safeguard of PGC fate during migration.
- A novel TRIM37-TRIM28-AP2γ complex prevents the activation of somatic transcriptional programs, thereby maintaining germ cell identity.
Related Concept Videos
01:56Gastrulation
Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...
01:21Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins
Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...
01:22Role of Ephrin-Eph Signalling in Intestinal Stem Cell Renewal
Erythropoietin-producing hepatocellular carcinoma receptor (Eph) and its ligand, Eph receptor-interacting protein (Ephrin) were first discovered in the human carcinoma cell line, hence the name. Ephrin-Eph interaction guides cells to reach their appropriate location in adult tissues. They also play an essential role in the immune system by helping in immune cell migration, adhesion, and activation. Based on their structure and function, Eph is divided into two classes — EphA and EphB.
01:32Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker proteins that...