The essential role of the gene Nr5a2 in embryogenesis

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.

To find out more about the research, see the news item on the "CNRS Biologie" website

Source : Nr5a2 is dispensable for zygotic genome activation but essential for morula development, Science, October 4, 2024

Nicola Festuccia^{1 *}, Sandrine Vandormael-Pournin¹, Almira Chervova¹, Anna Geiselmann^1,2, Francina Langa-Vives³, Rémi-Xavier Coux¹, Inma Gonzalez¹, Guillaume Giraud Collet^1,4, Michel Cohen-Tannoudji^1†, Pablo Navarro^1†

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