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. 2022 Oct 12:10:1006087.
doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1006087. eCollection 2022.

A transgenic bacterial artificial chromosome approach to identify regulatory regions that direct Amhr2 and Osterix expression in Müllerian duct mesenchyme

Affiliations

A transgenic bacterial artificial chromosome approach to identify regulatory regions that direct Amhr2 and Osterix expression in Müllerian duct mesenchyme

Malcolm M Moses et al. Front Cell Dev Biol. .

Abstract

A transgenic mouse approach using bacterial artificial chromosomes (BAC) was used to identify regulatory regions that direct Müllerian duct expression for Amhr2 and Osterix (Osx, also known as Sp7). Amhr2 encodes the receptor that mediates anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) signaling for Müllerian duct regression in male embryos. Amhr2 is expressed in the Müllerian duct mesenchyme of both male and female embryos. A ∼147-kb BAC clone containing the Amhr2 locus was used to generate transgenic mice. The transgene was able to rescue the block in Müllerian duct regression of Amhr2-null males, suggesting that the BAC clone contains regulatory sequences active in male embryos. Osx is expressed in the developing skeleton of male and female embryos but is also an AMH-induced gene that is expressed in the Müllerian duct mesenchyme exclusively in male embryos. Osx-Cre transgenic mice were previously generated using a ∼204-kb BAC clone. Crosses of Osx-Cre mice to Cre-dependent lacZ reporter mice resulted in reporter expression in the developing skeleton and in the Müllerian duct mesenchyme of male but not female embryos. Osx-Cherry transgenic mice were previously generated using a 39-kb genomic region surrounding the Osx locus. Osx-Cherry embryos expressed red fluorescence in the developing skeleton and Müllerian duct mesenchyme of male but not female embryos. In addition, female Osx-Cherry embryos ectopically expressing human AMH from an Mt1-AMH transgene activated red fluorescence in the Müllerian duct mesenchyme. These results suggest that the 39-kb region used to generate Osx-Cherry contains male-specific Müllerian duct mesenchyme regulatory sequences that are responsive to AMH signaling. These BAC transgenic mouse approaches identify two distinct regions that direct Müllerian duct mesenchyme expression and contribute fundamental knowledge to define a gene regulatory network for sex differentiation.

Keywords: Sp7/osterix; anti-müllerian hormone receptor 2; bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC); osterix; osx-cre; sex diffentiation; transgenic mice.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Amhr2-and Osx-containing BAC clone maps. Diagram of the genomic regions contained within BAC clones RPCI-22 315D12 and RP23-399N14. Genes (introns and exons) are represented by boxes above or below the line, representing the location of the genes on the two strands of DNA. The ∼39 kb region used to create Osx-Cherry mice is also shown (thick red line) that lacks coding sequences from neighboring genes.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
An Amhr2-containing BAC transgene rescues the block in Müllerian duct regression of Amhr2-null male mice. (A) Control male mouse possesses only male reproductive tract organs (epididymis, vas deferens) seen adjacent to the testis. (B) Amhr2 ΔE1-6/lacZ (null) male mouse carry one deletion allele and one lacZ knock-in/knockout allele. lacZ expression marks the uterus (open arrow) and oviduct (arrow) that forms in these mutants. (C) Male mouse with the Amhr2 BAC transgene (Tg BAC-Amhr2 ) on an Amhr2 ΔE1-6/lacZ background lacks lacZ expression because the block in Müllerian duct regression has been rescued preventing uterus/oviduct differentiation (Line 1, n = 2; Line 2, n = 2). Ov, oviduct; t, testis; ut, uterus.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Male-specific Müllerian duct mesenchyme expression induced by an Osx-Cre transgene. E14.5 reproductive tract organs from Osx-Cre tg/0; R26R-lacZ/+ mouse embryos stained for lacZ expression. (A and B) Whole mount images for female (A) and male (B) embryos. Scale bar = 500um. (C and D) Cross sections through Müllerian ducts counterstained with Nuclear Fast Red. Scale bar = 50 um. t, testis; o, ovary; MD, Müllerian duct; MDE, Müllerian duct epithelium; MDM, Müllerian duct mesenchyme. Osx-Cre tg/0; R26R-lacZ/+ male embryos, n = 6.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Male-specific Müllerian duct mesenchyme expression in Osx-Cherry transgenic mice. (A–D) E14.5 reproductive tract organs from Osx-Cherry tg/0 mouse embryos visualized for Cherry fluorescence. (A and B) Ventral views of whole mount brightfield and fluorescent images merged for female (A) and male (B) embryos. Yellow arrowheads, Müllerian ducts (MD); white arrowheads, skeletal tissues. O, ovary; T, testis. (C and D) Brightfield and fluorescent images merged of isolated reproductive tracts at E14.5. (C) Female, (D) male. (E and F) Cross sections through Müllerian ducts, visualized for Cherry fluorescence and counterstained with DAPI. (E) Female, (F) male. WD, Wolffian ducts. Scale bars (A–D) = 1000 um; (E and F) = 100 um. Osx-Cherry tg/0 female embryos, n = 4; male embryos, n = 6.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Mt1-AMH induces Osx-Cherry in the Müllerian ducts of female embryos. (A and B) Whole mount images of E14.5 reproductive tract organs from female mouse embryos visualized for Cherry fluorescence. (A) Osx-Cherry tg/0 (B) Osx-Cherry tg/0; Mt1-AMH tg/0 female embryos. White arrowheads point to Cherry-expressing bone-forming tissues. Yellow arrowheads point to Cherry expression in the Müllerian ducts. (C and D) Cross sections through Müllerian ducts, visualized for Cherry fluorescence and counterstained with DAPI. (C) Osx-Cherry tg/0 (D) Osx-Cherry tg/0; Mt1-AMH tg/0 female embryos. Arrowhead in D points to Cherry-expressing Müllerian duct mesenchyme. MD, Müllerian duct (yellow dotted line); WD, Wolffian duct (white dotted line). Scale bars (A and B) = 1000 um; (C and D) = 100 um. Cherry tg/0; Mt1-AMH tg/0 female embryos, n = 5.

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