earticle

영어

TNF receptor associated factor 4 (Traf4) is a member of the TNF receptor associated factor (TRAF) family, a family of scaffold proteins. TRAF proteins connect IL-1R/Toll and TNF receptors with signaling factors that lead to the activation of NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinases. However, the biological function of Traf4 is little known in preimplantation embryo development. We first examined the transcript levels of Traf4 from early cleaving to blastocyst staged embryos. We found that the transcription level of Traf4 increased from the 4-cell stage onwards and Traf4 was localized to the apical region of the outer cells. To elucidate the role of Traf4, we employed RNA interference using siRNA injection to the one-cell zygote. We observed arrested embryos between morula and blastocyst, and detected paracellular permeability sealing using FITC-dextran uptake assay in Traf4 KD. In summary, our findings strongly suggest that Traf4 plays important roles in blastocyst formation during mouse preimplantation development.