Scientists have elucidated the role of the gene Nr5a2 in the first stages of embryonic development in mammals. This research sheds new light on a biological process that is not yet fully understood.
Although NR5A2 has been identified as a central element in early embryonic development, its exact role remained unclear. In a recent study, scientists from the Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Sorbonne University and the CNRS clarified the role of this gene.
NR5A2 is necessary for regulating the genes that prepare the embryo for cell lineage specification. In this process, the embryo divides and generates three types of cell that are essential for its implantation in the uterus and subsequent development:
- the cells in the placenta,
- the cells that form the protective membrane around the embryo
- and the cells that will form the body’s tissues and organs.
NR5A2 is so important that in its absence the embryo stops developing a few days after fertilization.
This research, which sheds new light on the first stages of embryonic development, could have major implications, especially in improving in vitro fertilization protocols.
Source : Nr5a2 is dispensable for zygotic genome activation but essential for morula development, Science, October 4, 2024
Nicola Festuccia1 *, Sandrine Vandormael-Pournin1, Almira Chervova1, Anna Geiselmann1,2, Francina Langa-Vives3, Rémi-Xavier Coux1, Inma Gonzalez1, Guillaume Giraud Collet1,4, Michel Cohen-Tannoudji1†, Pablo Navarro1†
1Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3738, Epigenomics, Proliferation, and the Identity of Cells Unit, 75015 Paris, France.
2Sorbonne Université, Complexity of life, 75005 Paris, France.
3Mouse Genetics Engineering Center, C2RA, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.
4Université Paris Cité, BioSPC, 75013 Paris, France.
*Corresponding author. Email: nicola.festuccia@pasteur.fr
†These authors contributed equally to this work
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