Fbxo47, an F-box protein, is a key component of the centromeric Skp1-Cullin1-F-box protein (SCF) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. It is involved in crucial meiotic processes, such as centromere pairing, telomere-inner nuclear envelope integration, and maintenance of the synaptonemal complex. These functions are essential for proper homologous chromosome synapsis, recombination, and male fertility [1,2,3].

In mouse models, knockout of Fbxo47 leads to defective centromeres, incomplete centromere pairing, corruption of the synaptonemal complex at centromeric ends and along chromosome axes, premature chromosome dissociation, and pachytene arrest in spermatocytes. Also, it causes infertility in male mice due to the inability to form a complete synaptonemal complex. The disruption of Fbxo47 destabilizes TRF2, a component of the telomeric shelterin complex, leading to unstable telomere attachment and slow traversing through the bouquet stage. Moreover, in the absence of Fbxo47, the synaptonemal complex is precociously disassembled before progressing beyond pachytene in male meiotic prophase I [1,2,3].

In summary, Fbxo47 is essential for multiple meiotic processes, especially those related to chromosome synapsis and telomere-related events. Mouse knockout models have significantly contributed to understanding its role in male infertility, highlighting its importance in reproductive biology [1,2,3].

References:

1. Ma, Ani, Yang, Yali, Cao, Lianbao, Chen, Lijun, Zhang, Jian V. 2024. FBXO47 regulates centromere pairing as key component of centromeric SCF E3 ligase in mouse spermatocytes. In Communications biology, 7, 1099. doi:10.1038/s42003-024-06782-6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39244596/

2. Hua, Rong, Wei, Huafang, Liu, Chao, Li, Wei, Liu, Mingxi. . FBXO47 regulates telomere-inner nuclear envelope integration by stabilizing TRF2 during meiosis. In Nucleic acids research, 47, 11755-11770. doi:10.1093/nar/gkz992. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31724724/

3. Tanno, Nobuhiro, Takemoto, Kazumasa, Takada-Horisawa, Yuki, Araki, Kimi, Ishiguro, Kei-Ichiro. 2022. FBXO47 is essential for preventing the synaptonemal complex from premature disassembly in mouse male meiosis. In iScience, 25, 104008. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2022.104008. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35310947/