PUBLICATION

Testosterone acts through membrane protein GPRC6A to cause cardiac edema in zebrafish embryos

Authors
Zadmajid, V., Shahriar, S., Gorelick, D.A.
ID
ZDB-PUB-241101-2
Date
2024
Source
Development (Cambridge, England)   151(23): (Journal)
Registered Authors
Gorelick, Daniel, Zadmajid, Vahid
Keywords
Androgen receptor, GPRC6A, Heart development, Membrane steroid signaling, Zebrafish
Datasets
GEO:GSE274852
MeSH Terms
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled*/genetics
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled*/metabolism
  • Androgens/metabolism
  • Androgens/pharmacology
  • Heart/drug effects
  • Heart/embryology
  • Receptors, Androgen/genetics
  • Receptors, Androgen/metabolism
  • Testosterone*/metabolism
  • Testosterone*/pharmacology
  • Mutation/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins*/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins*/metabolism
  • Signal Transduction/drug effects
  • Animals
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/drug effects
  • Zebrafish*/embryology
  • Zebrafish*/metabolism
  • Edema, Cardiac*/genetics
  • Edema, Cardiac*/metabolism
  • Edema, Cardiac*/pathology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/drug effects
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/metabolism
PubMed
39479956 Full text @ Development
Abstract
Androgens are classically thought to act through intracellular androgen receptors (AR/NR3C4), but they can also trigger non-genomic effects via membrane proteins. Although several membrane androgen receptors have been characterized in vitro, their functions in vivo remain unclear. Using a chemical-genetic screen in zebrafish, we found that GPRC6A, a G-protein coupled receptor, mediates non-genomic androgen actions during embryonic development. Exposure to androgens (androstanedione, DHT, and testosterone) caused cardiac edema or tail curvature in wild-type embryos, as well as in ar mutants, suggesting AR-independent pathways. We then mutated putative membrane androgen receptors (gprc6a, hcar1-4, and zip9) and found that only gprc6a mutants exhibited a significant reduction in cardiac edema following testosterone exposure. Additionally, co-treatment of wild-type embryos with testosterone and GPRC6A antagonists significantly suppressed the cardiac edema phenotype. Using RNA-seq and RNA rescue approaches, we found that testosterone-GPRC6A causes cardiac phenotypes by reducing Pak1 signaling. Our results indicate that testosterone induces cardiac edema in zebrafish embryos through GPRC6A, independent of nuclear androgen receptors, highlighting a novel non-genomic androgen signaling pathway in embryonic development.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping