Professor of Developmental Biology Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Abstract Authors: Helen McNeill, Andrea Jurisicov, Bilal Hakim, Abira Ganguly,
Abstract Text: Nuclear Envelope Membrane Protein 1 (Nemp1) is a highly conserved transmembrane nuclear envelope protein required for fertility in Drosophila, C. elegans, zebrafish, and mice (Tsatskis et. al, 2020). Human genome-wide association studies show an association between Nemp1 and early menopause. The mammalian ovary is composed of a mechanically stiff, highly cross-linked cortex filled with primordial follicles that constitute the ovarian reserve. Nemp1KO female mice have a drastically reduced ovarian reserve. Loss of ovarian reserve can lead to ovarian failure that results in premature menopause. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and micropipette aspiration technique revealed that NEMP protein supports the mechanical stiffness of the nucleus in cell lines and Nemp1KO oocytes respectively (Tsatskis et. al, 2020). These data led us to hypothesize that Nemp1 has a role in mechano-transduction. Here I present data indicating that loss of NEMP1 leads to a germline checkpoint, mediated by ATM and CHK2, and that loss of NEMP1 leads to DNA damage and premature aging
