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¹ Department of Haematology & Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655, Japan
² Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa, Ishikawa 920-1192, Japan
³ Department of Pathology, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
⁴ Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 3-10 Kanda-Surugadai 2-Chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062, Japan
⁵ Laboratory for Vertebrate Body Plan, RIKEN Centre for Developmental Biology, 2-2-3 Minatojima-MinamiMachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 650-0047, Japan

CIZ (Cas interacting zinc finger protein), also called Nmp4 (nuclear matrix protein 4), is a nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling transcription factor that regulates the expression of collagen and matrix metalloproteinases. CIZ/Nmp4 was originally cloned by its binding to p130^Cas, a focal adhesion protein, and was recently shown to suppress BMP2 (bone mophogenetic protein 2) signalling. To explore the physiological role of CIZ/Nmp4, we disrupted CIZ/Nmp4-gene by inserting beta-galactosidase and neomycin resistance genes into the 2nd exon of CIZ/Nmp4-gene, which is utilized by all the sequenced alternative forms. CIZ^–/– mice were born and grew to adulthood. Although they tend to be smaller than wild-type mice, no pathological abnormality was observed except in the testis. Histological analysis of the testes revealed variable degrees of spermatogenic cell degeneration within the seminiferous tubules of CIZ^–/– mice, resembling the histology of the ‘Germinal-cell aplasia with focal spermatogenesis’. Some of the CIZ^–/– male mice developed infertility. TUNEL assay on testis sections revealed an increased occurrence of apoptosis of spermatogenic cells in the testes of CIZ^–/– mice. CIZ/Nmp4 was co-localized with Smad1 in the testis, suggesting that a disregulation of BMP signalling could cause these phenotypes. These results suggest that CIZ/Nmp4 plays roles in the progress and the maintenance of spermatogenesis.

^* Correspondence: E-mail: nakamoto{at}scripps.edu

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