The deubiquitinating gene Usp29 is dispensable for fertility in male mice

摘要

The balanced actions between ubiquitination and deubiquitination precisely control the levels of various proteins vital for spermatogenesis.Ubiquitin-specific processing proteases(USPs)are the largest family of deubiquitinatingenzymes(DUBs),containing more than 50 members.So far,the functions of only a few USPs in male fertility have been studied,the roles of the majority are yet unknown.The present study aimed to explore the function of Usp29(ubiquitin-specific protease 29)in male fertility.We found that Usp29 showed predominant expression in mouse testis,and its m RNA expression started to increase at 14 days postpartum(dpp),with a peak at 28 and 35 dpp.Using CRISPR/Cas9 technology,we generated Usp29 knockout mice(Usp29–/–).Usp29–/–mice exhibited no overt developmental anomalies.Further examination revealed that Usp29–/–mice had normal fertility and showed no detectable difference in the testis/body weight ratio,testicular and epididymal histology as well as epididymal sperm count from the wild-type littermates.Moreover,Usp29 is not a pseudogene in mice.Taken together,our study first reported that though Usp29 is predominantly expressed in the testis,it is not essential for male fertility in mice.