Nanos1, encoding an RNA-binding protein, is a conserved translational repressor. It plays well-known roles in gonad development across vertebrates and invertebrates. In vertebrates, it is also involved in central nervous system (CNS) development and has implications in processes like apoptosis regulation and cell cycle control. It interacts with other proteins and is part of pathways related to germ cell maintenance, synaptogenesis, and potentially cancer-related processes [1,3,5-10].

In knockout studies, mouse Nanos1-deficient mice develop to term without detectable abnormality and are fertile, suggesting its dispensability for normal development [5]. In zebrafish, nanos1 knockout shows no craniofacial defects despite its expression in pharyngeal endoderm and endodermal pouches [2]. In rat hippocampal neurons, siRNA-mediated knockdown of Nanos1 impairs synaptogenesis, affecting dendritic spine size and number, as well as the induction of ARC upon neuron depolarization [1]. In human male germ cell line TCam-2, overexpression of Nanos1 downregulates apoptosis by repressing pro-apoptotic genes, while an infertility-associated mutation switches its function to pro-apoptotic [3]. In oral cancer cells, NANOS1 restricts cell motility by interacting with TGF-β receptor 1 mRNA, reducing its expression and preventing downstream TGF-β/SMAD signaling [4].

In summary, Nanos1 is crucial for processes such as gonad development, CNS development, apoptosis regulation in germ cells, and controlling cancer-related cell behaviors. Gene knockout models in mice and zebrafish, along with loss-of-function experiments in other cell models, have revealed its diverse functions, contributing to our understanding of normal development and disease conditions like infertility and oral cancer [1-5].

References:

1. Maschi, Darío, Fernández-Alvarez, Ana J, Boccaccio, Graciela Lidia. 2023. The RNA-binding protein NANOS1 controls hippocampal synaptogenesis. In PloS one, 18, e0284589. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0284589. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37058523/

2. Na, Hyejee, Park, Jangwon, Jeon, Haewon, Jin, Sil, Choe, Chong Pyo. 2021. Pharyngeal endoderm expression of nanos1 is dispensable for craniofacial development. In Gene expression patterns : GEP, 41, 119202. doi:10.1016/j.gep.2021.119202. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34389512/

3. Janecki, Damian M, Ilaslan, Erkut, Smialek, Maciej J, Jaruzelska, Jadwiga, Kusz-Zamelczyk, Kamila. 2020. Human NANOS1 Represses Apoptosis by Downregulating Pro-Apoptotic Genes in the Male Germ Cell Line. In International journal of molecular sciences, 21, . doi:10.3390/ijms21083009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32344590/

4. Rosemann, Julia, Pyko, Jonas, Jacob, Roland, Haemmerle, Monika, Gutschner, Tony. 2024. NANOS1 restricts oral cancer cell motility and TGF-ß signaling. In European journal of cell biology, 103, 151400. doi:10.1016/j.ejcb.2024.151400. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38401491/

5. Haraguchi, Seiki, Tsuda, Masayuki, Kitajima, Satoshi, Kurokawa, Kiyoshi, Saga, Yumiko. . nanos1: a mouse nanos gene expressed in the central nervous system is dispensable for normal development. In Mechanisms of development, 120, 721-31. doi:. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12834871/