Page 111 - Eshre 2018
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DICER is required for spermatogenesis in mice
Germ cell-specific Dicer1 knockout mice are infertile with reduced size of testis, and dramatically lowered number of spermatozoa in epididymides, major defects in haploid differentiation
CTRL
CTRL
cKO
cKO
CTRL HEZ cKO
CTRL
CTRL
cKO
Korhonen et al., PLoS ONE 2011; Korhonen et al. Biol Reprod 2015
PIWI‐interacting RNAs (piRNAs)
• Predominantly expressed in male germ cells • Longer than miRNAs (~ 30 nt)
• piRNA genes organized in clusters
• Dicer-independent biosynthesis
• Interact with PIWI family members
• Important role in transposon silencing in the germline
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PRECONGRESS COURSE 01 I BARCELONA, SPAIN – 1 JULY 2018 111
