| First Author | Rao MK | Year | 2006 |
| Journal | Genes Dev | Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 147-52 |
| PubMed ID | 16418481 | Mgi Jnum | J:104620 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3612377 | Doi | 10.1101/gad1367806 |
| Citation | Rao MK, et al. (2006) Tissue-specific RNAi reveals that WT1 expression in nurse cells controls germ cell survival and spermatogenesis. Genes Dev 20(2):147-52 |
| abstractText | Using a novel tissue-specific RNA interference (RNAi) approach that mimics the principle by which naturally occurring microRNAs (miRNA) are made, we demonstrate that the Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) transcription factor has an essential role in spermatogenesis. Mice depleted of WT1 in Sertoli nurse cells suffered from increased germ cell apoptosis, loss of adherens junctions, disregulation of adherence junction-associated genes, and impaired fertility. These effects were recapitulated in transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative form of WT1 in Sertoli cells, demonstrating the validity of our RNAi approach. Our results indicate that the tumor suppressor WT1 promotes Sertoli cell-germ cell signaling events driving spermatogenesis. |
