Abstract

PETER PAN (PPAN), located to nucleoli and mitochondria, is a member of the Brix domain protein family, involved in rRNA processing through its rRNA binding motif and mitochondrial apoptosis by protecting mitochondria structure and suppressing basal autophagic flux. Ppan is important for cell proliferation and viability, and mutation of Ppan in Drosophila caused larval lethality and oogenesis failure. Yet, its role in mammalian reproduction remains unclear. In this study, we explored the function of Ppan in oocyte maturation and early embryogenesis using conditional knockout mouse model. Deficiency of maternal Ppan significantly downregulated the expression level of 5.8S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and 28S rRNA, though it had no effect on oocyte maturation or preimplantation embryo development. However, depletion of both maternal and zygotic Ppan blocked embryonic development at morula stage. Similar phenotype was obtained when only zygotic Ppan was depleted. We further identified no DNA binding activity of PPAN in mouse embryonic stem cells, and depletion of Ppan had minimum impact on transcriptome but decreased expression of 5.8S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and 28S rRNA nevertheless. Our findings demonstrate that Ppan is indispensable for early embryogenesis in mice.