Affinage

NANOS2

Nanos homolog 2 · UniProt P60321

Length
138 aa
Mass
15.1 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
53 papers in source corpus 21 papers cited in narrative 21 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 6/6 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

NANOS2 is a male germ cell-specific RNA-binding protein that acts as the central intrinsic regulator of spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) self-renewal and male-type germ cell differentiation by enforcing post-transcriptional repression of pro-differentiation transcripts (PMID:19745153, PMID:18281459). It operates within mRNP complexes and P-bodies, where it recruits the CCR4-NOT (CNOT) deadenylase complex to target mRNAs: the first 10 N-terminal residues bind directly to the scaffold subunit CNOT1, and this interaction is essential for NANOS2 function in vivo (PMID:20133598, PMID:22448252). Target selectivity is conferred not by NANOS2 alone but through cooperative action with the RNA-binding protein DND1, which binds NANOS2's zinc finger domain to load specific transcripts onto the complex; NANOS2 thus contributes jointly to CNOT recruitment and target selection (PMID:26589352, PMID:35705038). Through this machinery NANOS2 recognizes an AUKAAWU motif predominantly in target 3' UTRs and shortens transcript half-lives (PMID:34278268), repressing pro-differentiation and meiotic regulators including Stra8, Dazl, and Rhox13 (PMID:18281459, PMID:27072294, PMID:22190708), and suppressing mTORC1 signaling both by repressing the activator Rheb and by sequestering mTOR into mRNPs, thereby maintaining mitotic quiescence/G0 arrest (PMID:34401671, PMID:26120033). NANOS2 acts downstream of GDNF/GFRA1 signaling to suppress differentiation (PMID:22102605), and its functions are partly separable: it specifies the male program independently of meiosis suppression and operates through both P-body-dependent and -independent mechanisms (PMID:24183939, PMID:30679547). Although NANOS2 can substitute for NANOS3 in early germ-cell maintenance, NANOS3 cannot rescue NANOS2-null defects, reflecting NANOS2's distinct CNOT1- and DND1-binding capacities (PMID:17138666, PMID:33199444).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 21 steps
  1. 2006 Medium

    Established that NANOS2 protein dosage is functionally critical and is set post-transcriptionally through its own 3'-UTR, framing NANOS2 as a tightly tuned regulator of spermatogenesis.

    Evidence 3'-UTR deletion (nanos2pA) and lacZ knock-in alleles with histological/apoptosis analysis in mice

    PMID:16806845

    Open questions at the time
    • Trans-acting factors controlling 3'-UTR-mediated dosage not identified at this stage
    • Molecular targets of NANOS2 not yet defined
  2. 2006 High

    Resolved whether Nanos paralogs are interchangeable, showing NANOS2 can replace NANOS3 in early PGC maintenance but not vice versa, defining distinct and redundant functions.

    Evidence Transgenic Nanos2 rescue in Nanos3-null background with double-null analysis

    PMID:17138666

    Open questions at the time
    • Molecular basis of paralog functional divergence not yet identified
  3. 2008 High

    Identified NANOS2 as a switch controlling sexual fate, suppressing meiosis by preventing Stra8 and driving the male germ-cell program.

    Evidence Nanos2 knockout plus forced expression in female germ cells with Stra8 readout

    PMID:18281459

    Open questions at the time
    • Mechanism of Stra8 suppression (direct vs indirect) not established
    • Direct RNA targets unknown
  4. 2009 High

    Defined NANOS2's postnatal role as a maintainer of self-renewing spermatogonial stem cells through lineage and loss/gain-of-function genetics.

    Evidence Lineage tracing, conditional Cre-loxP knockout, and overexpression in mouse testes

    PMID:19745153

    Open questions at the time
    • Molecular effectors of SSC maintenance not yet defined
  5. 2010 High

    Provided the core molecular mechanism: NANOS2 represses target mRNAs by recruiting the CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex and localizing it to P-bodies.

    Evidence Immunoprecipitation, in vitro deadenylase assay, and P-body localization in gonocytes

    PMID:20133598

    Open questions at the time
    • Subunit-level contact with CNOT undefined
    • Determinants of target RNA specificity unknown
  6. 2010 Medium

    Linked extrinsic signals to NANOS2 levels and identified candidate RNA targets and a partner, showing FGF9 upregulates and retinoic acid downregulates NANOS2.

    Evidence FGF9/RA treatment, Co-IP with PUM2, sucrose gradients, recombinant RNA binding to Gata2/Taf7l

    PMID:20159962

    Open questions at the time
    • Functional significance of PUM2 interaction not established
    • Direct binding motif not defined
  7. 2012 High

    Pinpointed the CNOT1-binding surface to the NANOS2 N-terminal 10 residues and proved CCR4-NOT recruitment is required in vivo, while showing RNA binding persists independently.

    Evidence Mutagenesis (ΔN10), transgenic rescue in Nanos2-null mice, and RNA co-IP

    PMID:22448252

    Open questions at the time
    • The additional factor conferring RNA specificity not yet identified
  8. 2012 High

    Placed NANOS2 genetically downstream of GDNF/GFRA1 signaling as the intrinsic effector suppressing SSC differentiation.

    Evidence Gfra1 conditional KO with Nanos2 overexpression rescue and marker analysis

    PMID:22102605

    Open questions at the time
    • How GDNF signaling sustains NANOS2 expression mechanistically not resolved
  9. 2012 Medium

    Demonstrated direct post-transcriptional repression of a specific target, Rhox13, by reciprocal gain/loss-of-function.

    Evidence Nanos2-null and ectopic-expression germ cells with RHOX13 immunofluorescence

    PMID:22190708

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct binding to Rhox13 mRNA inferred rather than mapped
  10. 2013 Medium

    Separated NANOS2's male-program and meiosis-suppression activities, showing it controls male gene expression independently of Stra8 and maintains mitotic quiescence.

    Evidence Nanos2/Stra8 double-KO genetics, microarray, RNA-IP, cell-cycle analysis

    PMID:24183939

    Open questions at the time
    • Single lab, not independently replicated
    • Quiescence maintenance mechanism not molecularly defined
  11. 2014 Medium

    Explained paralog specificity at the biochemical level by distinct CNOT contacts: NANOS2 binds CNOT1, NANOS3 binds CNOT8.

    Evidence Co-IP, domain analysis, and zinc-finger-mutant transgenic mice

    PMID:25416063

    Open questions at the time
    • Functional consequence of CNOT1 vs CNOT8 binding not fully tested in vivo
  12. 2014 Medium

    Identified an upstream regulatory input, miR-34c, that tunes NANOS2 levels to promote differentiation.

    Evidence Dual-luciferase reporter with mutant 3'-UTR and miR-34c mimic transfection

    PMID:24038201

    Open questions at the time
    • In vivo relevance of miR-34c regulation not established
    • Single lab
  13. 2015 High

    Solved the target-specificity problem by identifying DND1 as the partner that binds the NANOS2 zinc finger and loads unique RNAs onto CCR4-NOT.

    Evidence Direct interaction assay, zinc finger mutagenesis, DND1 conditional KO phenocopy

    PMID:26589352

    Open questions at the time
    • Structural basis of NANOS2-DND1 contact not determined
    • How DND1 selects RNAs not defined
  14. 2015 High

    Showed NANOS2 maintains SSC homeostasis through a dual mechanism—repressing pro-differentiation mRNAs and sequestering mTOR to inhibit mTORC1.

    Evidence mRNP fractionation, RNA co-IP, mTOR sequestration assay, transcriptomics

    PMID:26120033

    Open questions at the time
    • Stoichiometry and reversibility of mTOR sequestration not defined
  15. 2016 High

    Validated Dazl as a direct in vivo NANOS2 target through endogenous 3'-UTR deletion that phenocopies Nanos2 loss.

    Evidence BAC transgenic deletion of Dazl 3'-UTR with stability and phenotypic analysis

    PMID:27072294

    Open questions at the time
    • Antagonism between NANOS2 and DAZL protein not mechanistically resolved
  16. 2021 High

    Defined the NANOS2 binding motif (AUKAAWU) transcriptome-wide and tied binding to transcript destabilization via CCR4-NOT.

    Evidence CRAC/CLIP with tagged knock-in, transcript half-life measurement, Co-IP in SSC lines

    PMID:34278268

    Open questions at the time
    • How DND1 and the motif jointly define in vivo target sets not fully integrated
  17. 2021 Medium

    Mechanistically connected NANOS2 to cell-cycle control by identifying Rheb and Ptma repression as the route to mTORC1 suppression and mitotic arrest.

    Evidence scRNA-seq with Nanos2-KO and target identification, cell-cycle analysis

    PMID:34401671

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct repression of Rheb not reconstituted in vitro
  18. 2021 Medium

    Clarified why NANOS3 cannot substitute for NANOS2: NANOS3 fails to bind CNOT1, and DND1 binding requires the NANOS2-specific zinc-finger structure.

    Evidence Nanos3/Nanos2 double-KO, chimeric proteins, in vitro binding and Co-IP

    PMID:33199444

    Open questions at the time
    • Structural determinant within the zinc finger not atomically resolved
  19. 2019 Medium

    Showed P-body targeting depends on DDX6 and that NANOS2 acts through both P-body-dependent and -independent mechanisms.

    Evidence Conditional Ddx6 deletion in chimeric embryos, RNA-seq, P-body localization

    PMID:30679547

    Open questions at the time
    • Which NANOS2 functions require P-bodies vs not is incompletely partitioned
  20. 2022 High

    Reconstituted the selection logic in somatic cells, demonstrating NANOS2 functions as a second-layer RNA-binding protein that both recruits CNOT and selects targets jointly with DND1.

    Evidence Somatic reconstitution with NANOS2-DND1, domain-fusion (NIM) constructs, reporter repression

    PMID:35705038

    Open questions at the time
    • Endogenous regulation of the NANOS2-DND1-CNOT assembly in germ cells not captured
  21. 2025 Medium

    Pinpointed a narrow temporal requirement, showing sustained NANOS2 protein during E15.5–E16.5 is essential to maintain G0 arrest and prevent apoptosis, with lasting consequences for spermatogenesis.

    Evidence Auxin-inducible degron (AID2) acute depletion in vivo with cell-cycle and gene-expression profiling (preprint)

    PMID:bio_10.1101_2025.05.22.655677

    Open questions at the time
    • Preprint, single study
    • Immediate molecular targets driving cell-cycle resumption upon acute depletion not resolved

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • How NANOS2-DND1-mediated target selection, CCR4-NOT recruitment, mTOR sequestration, and P-body assembly are integrated and structurally organized into a single regulatory state remains unresolved.
  • No high-resolution structure of the NANOS2-DND1-CNOT1 assembly
  • Quantitative rules linking motif occupancy, DND1 loading, and repression outcome undefined

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0003723 RNA binding 4 GO:0045182 translation regulator activity 3 GO:0060090 molecular adaptor activity 3 GO:0140098 catalytic activity, acting on RNA 2 GO:0140313 molecular sequestering activity 1
Localization
GO:0005829 cytosol 2 GO:0031410 cytoplasmic vesicle 2
Pathway
R-HSA-1266738 Developmental Biology 3 R-HSA-162582 Signal Transduction 3 R-HSA-1474165 Reproduction 2 R-HSA-8953854 Metabolism of RNA 2
Partners
CNOT1DDX6DND1MTORPUM2
Complex memberships
CCR4-NOT (CNOT) deadenylase complexP-body mRNP

Evidence

Reading pass · 21 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
2010 NANOS2 localizes to P-bodies in male gonocytes and interacts with components of the CCR4-NOT deadenylation complex (immunoprecipitation). The NANOS2/CCR4-NOT complex has deadenylase activity in vitro, and NANOS2 promotes localization of CNOT proteins to P-bodies. Specific mRNAs implicated in meiosis associate with NANOS2 and accumulate in its absence, indicating NANOS2-mediated suppression via deadenylation. Immunoprecipitation, in vitro deadenylase assay, in vivo P-body localization, RNA association analysis Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America High 20133598
2012 CNOT1, a scaffold component of the CCR4-NOT deadenylation complex, directly mediates the interaction with NANOS2. The first 10 amino acids (N-terminal) of NANOS2 are required for binding to CNOT1. A NANOS2 mutant lacking these first 10 AAs (NANOS2-ΔN10) fails to rescue Nanos2-null mouse defects, establishing that CCR4-NOT interaction is essential for NANOS2 function in vivo. NANOS2-ΔN10 retains mRNA association, implying additional factor(s) determine RNA-binding specificity independently of CCR4-NOT. In vitro binding/mutagenesis, transgenic rescue assay in Nanos2-null mice, RNA co-immunoprecipitation PloS one High 22448252
2015 Dead end1 (DND1) directly interacts with NANOS2 via NANOS2's zinc finger domain to load unique target RNAs into the CCR4-NOT (CNOT) complex for degradation. This interaction is essential for target specificity. The zinc finger domain of NANOS2 functions as a protein–protein interaction domain for another RNA-binding protein. Conditional deletion of DND1 causes disruption of male germ cell differentiation similar to Nanos2-KO mice. Direct protein interaction assay, zinc finger domain mutagenesis, conditional knockout genetics, phenotypic comparison EMBO reports High 26589352
2015 NANOS2 works within mRNP complexes to maintain spermatogonial stem cell homeostasis through a dual mechanism: (1) direct recruitment and translational repression of pro-differentiation mRNAs, and (2) sequestration of mTOR (core factor of mTORC1) into mRNPs, thereby repressing mTORC1 signaling, a known negative regulator of SSC self-renewal. mRNP fractionation, RNA co-immunoprecipitation, mTOR sequestration assay, loss-of-function with transcriptomic analysis Developmental cell High 26120033
2016 Dazl mRNA is a direct in vivo target of NANOS2-mediated suppression in sexually differentiating XY germ cells. Removal of the Dazl 3'-UTR in XY germ cells stabilizes Dazl mRNA, causing elevated meiotic gene expression, abnormal cell cycle resumption, and impaired P-body formation—phenotypes resembling Nanos2-KO. NANOS2 also acts as an antagonist of the DAZL protein. Microarray, BAC transgenic system to delete Dazl 3'-UTR in vivo, mRNA stability analysis, phenotypic analysis of mutant germ cells Nature communications High 27072294
2021 NANOS2 recognizes the AUKAAWU consensus motif predominantly in the 3' UTR of target mRNAs in spermatogonial stem cells. NANOS2 binding reduces the half-lives of target transcripts through interaction with CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex components. NANOS2 regulates key signaling and metabolic pathway transcripts whose dosage is critical for SSC maintenance. CLIP (cross-linking and analysis of cDNAs, CRAC), epitope-tagged knock-in allele, transcript half-life measurements, Co-IP with CCR4-NOT components in SSC lines iScience High 34278268
2021 NANOS2 suppresses the cell cycle in embryonic male germ cells by repressing Rheb (an mTORC1 activator) and Ptma at the post-transcriptional level, thereby suppressing mTORC1 activity. Single-cell RNA-seq showed Nanos2 expression starts in mitotic cells and its expression induces mitotic arrest. Single-cell RNA sequencing, loss-of-function (Nanos2-KO), identification of Rheb and Ptma as NANOS2 targets, cell cycle analysis iScience Medium 34401671
2022 NANOS2 functions as a second-layer RNA-binding protein for target mRNA selection in cooperation with DND1: NANOS2 interacts with RNA-bound DND1 and recruits the CNOT complex to the target mRNAs. A fusion construct of the CNOT1-binding site of NANOS2 (NIM) fused to DND1 is insufficient for target mRNA repression, demonstrating that NANOS2 contributes both to CNOT recruitment and to target mRNA selection jointly with DND1. Somatic cell reconstitution system (exogenous NANOS2-DND1 in somatic cells), domain-fusion constructs, reporter repression assays, Co-IP Cell reports High 35705038
2008 NANOS2 plays a critical role in suppressing meiosis in fetal male germ cells by preventing Stra8 expression (required for premeiotic DNA replication). Forced expression of Nanos2 in female germ cells inhibits meiosis and induces male-type differentiation, indicating NANOS2 activates a male-specific genetic program. Nanos2 knockout mice, forced expression transgenic experiments in female germ cells, Stra8 expression analysis Genes & development High 18281459
2009 NANOS2 is required for maintaining spermatogonial stem cells in mouse testes. Lineage tracing shows Nanos2-expressing undifferentiated spermatogonia self-renew and generate the entire spermatogenic cell lineage. Conditional postnatal Nanos2 disruption depletes SSC reserves; Nanos2 overexpression leads to accumulation of spermatogonia with stem cell-like properties. Transgenic lineage tracing, conditional Cre-loxP knockout, Nanos2 overexpression in mouse testes Science High 19745153
2012 NANOS2 acts downstream of GDNF/GFRA1 signaling to suppress differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells. GDNF signaling maintains NANOS2 expression; Nanos2 overexpression can alleviate stem cell loss caused by Gfra1 conditional knockout; NANOS2 suppresses differentiation even in the absence of GDNF signaling, and overexpression of Nanos2 in Gfra1-cKO does not induce de novo GFRA1 expression. Conditional knockout (Gfra1-cKO), inducible Cre-loxP, Nanos2 overexpression rescue assay in Gfra1-deficient mice, marker expression analysis Stem cells High 22102605
2006 NANOS2 can functionally substitute for NANOS3 in early primordial germ cell maintenance (ectopic NANOS2 rescues Nanos3-null germ cells in both sexes), but NANOS3 cannot rescue NANOS2-null defects in male germ cell development, demonstrating distinct as well as redundant functions of the Nanos proteins. Oct4DeltaPE-driven Nanos2 transgenic rescue in Nanos3-null genetic background, double-null phenotypic analysis Development High 17138666
2013 NANOS2 is required for male germ cell development beyond meiosis suppression: in Nanos2/Stra8 double-KO mice, male-specific gene expression was not restored, indicating NANOS2 controls male gene expression independently of meiosis suppression. Microarray identified target RNAs of NANOS2 including PGC-expressed genes. NANOS2 is also required for maintenance (but not initiation) of mitotic quiescence in fetal male germ cells. Double knockout genetics (Nanos2/Stra8 dKO), microarray, RNA immunoprecipitation with NANOS2, cell cycle analysis Developmental biology Medium 24183939
2014 NANOS2 and NANOS3 interact with different components of the CNOT complex: NANOS2 interacts directly with CNOT1 via its N-terminal domain, while NANOS3 interacts with CNOT8. This differential interaction may account for their functional differences in male germ cell development. Co-immunoprecipitation, domain analysis, transgenic mice expressing zinc-finger mutant NANOS2, phenotypic analysis Biology open Medium 25416063
2021 In vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that DND1 binding by NANOS2 is dependent on the specific NANOS2 zinc-finger structure, and NANOS3 failed to bind CNOT1 (an N-terminal interactor of NANOS2). These structural differences explain why NANOS3 cannot rescue NANOS2 function despite upregulation in Nanos2-null conditions. Conditional Nanos3/Nanos2 double-KO mice, chimeric NANOS protein expression, in vitro binding assays, Co-IP Development Medium 33199444
2010 FGF9 upregulates NANOS2 in fetal and postnatal male germ cells (including female PGCs), paralleled by impaired meiotic entry. Retinoic acid (RA) downregulates NANOS2 levels and promotes meiosis. NANOS2 interacts with PUM2 and both proteins co-localize in ribonucleoparticle and polysomal fractions on sucrose gradients. Recombinant NANOS2 binds Gata2 and Taf7l mRNAs involved in germ cell differentiation. FGF9/RA treatment of germ cells, Western blot, Co-immunoprecipitation with PUM2, sucrose gradient sedimentation, RNA binding with recombinant NANOS2 Journal of cell science Medium 20159962
2012 In male germ cells, RHOX13 translation is suppressed by NANOS2. In Nanos2-null fetal male germ cells, RHOX13 translation occurs precociously, and ectopic NANOS2 in female germ cells suppresses RHOX13 translation, strongly suggesting NANOS2 regulates RHOX13 at a post-transcriptional level via direct interaction with Rhox13 mRNA. In vivo RA treatment, Nanos2-null mouse analysis, ectopic NANOS2 expression in female germ cells, immunofluorescence for RHOX13 protein Biology of reproduction Medium 22190708
2019 DDX6 is required for NANOS2 localization to P-bodies in embryonic male germ cells. Conditional deletion of Ddx6 in germ cells via ES-mediated chimera analysis showed both overlapping and distinct defects compared to NANOS2-null germ cells, demonstrating that NANOS2 function is carried out via both P-body-dependent and P-body-independent mechanisms. Conditional Ddx6 deletion via germ-cell-specific inducible Cre in chimeric embryos from ES cells, RNA-seq, P-body localization analysis Scientific reports Medium 30679547
2006 The nanos2 3'-UTR functions to repress Nanos2 translation in oocytes but enhances protein production in male gonads. Loss of the nanos2 3'-UTR (nanos2pA allele) causes dose-dependent spermatogenesis defects due to apoptosis of gonocytes/spermatogonia, indicating that precise NANOS2 protein levels regulated through the 3'-UTR are critical for spermatogenesis. lacZ knock-in comparison with/without native 3'-UTR, nanos2pA/pA knockin mice, histological and apoptosis analysis Mechanisms of development Medium 16806845
2014 miR-34c directly targets the 3'-UTR of Nanos2 mRNA (validated by dual-luciferase reporter and mutant reporter assays) and suppresses NANOS2 protein expression post-transcriptionally, promoting differentiation and meiosis entry of mouse spermatogonial stem cells. Bioinformatics prediction, dual-luciferase reporter with wild-type and mutant 3'-UTR, miR-34c mimic transfection, Western blot Journal of cellular biochemistry Medium 24038201
2025 Using an auxin-inducible degron (AID2) system to rapidly degrade NANOS2 protein after E15.5, sustained NANOS2 protein expression during the E15.5–E16.5 embryonic window is shown to be essential for maintaining G0 arrest and preventing aberrant gene expression in gonocytes. Depletion at E15.5 or E16.5 causes germ cells to resume the cell cycle and undergo apoptosis, and surviving cells fail to sustain spermatogenesis postnatally. Auxin-inducible degron (AID2) system for acute protein depletion in vivo, cell cycle analysis, gene expression profiling, postnatal spermatogenesis assessment bioRxivpreprint Medium bio_10.1101_2025.05.22.655677

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 53 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2009 The RNA-binding protein NANOS2 is required to maintain murine spermatogonial stem cells. Science (New York, N.Y.) 239 19745153
2008 Nanos2 suppresses meiosis and promotes male germ cell differentiation. Genes & development 227 18281459
2009 The heterogeneity of spermatogonia is revealed by their topology and expression of marker proteins including the germ cell-specific proteins Nanos2 and Nanos3. Developmental biology 151 19818747
2010 NANOS2 interacts with the CCR4-NOT deadenylation complex and leads to suppression of specific RNAs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 125 20133598
2010 Opposing effects of retinoic acid and FGF9 on Nanos2 expression and meiotic entry of mouse germ cells. Journal of cell science 125 20159962
2006 Functional redundancy among Nanos proteins and a distinct role of Nanos2 during male germ cell development. Development (Cambridge, England) 107 17138666
2012 nanos3 maintains germline stem cells and expression of the conserved germline stem cell gene nanos2 in the zebrafish ovary. Developmental biology 104 23228893
2014 miR-34c enhances mouse spermatogonial stem cells differentiation by targeting Nanos2. Journal of cellular biochemistry 83 24038201
2017 Generation of germline ablated male pigs by CRISPR/Cas9 editing of the NANOS2 gene. Scientific reports 80 28071690
2015 Dead end1 is an essential partner of NANOS2 for selective binding of target RNAs in male germ cell development. EMBO reports 78 26589352
2012 Interaction between NANOS2 and the CCR4-NOT deadenylation complex is essential for male germ cell development in mouse. PloS one 67 22448252
2012 NANOS2 acts downstream of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor signaling to suppress differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells. Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio) 64 22102605
2008 Multiple maternal proteins coordinate to restrict the translation of C. elegans nanos-2 to primordial germ cells. Development (Cambridge, England) 64 18417623
2015 RNA Binding Protein Nanos2 Organizes Post-transcriptional Buffering System to Retain Primitive State of Mouse Spermatogonial Stem Cells. Developmental cell 59 26120033
2020 Donor-derived spermatogenesis following stem cell transplantation in sterile NANOS2 knockout males. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 58 32929012
2014 Spermatogonial stem cell quest: nanos2, marker of a subpopulation of undifferentiated A spermatogonia in trout testis. Biology of reproduction 58 24554733
2013 NANOS2 promotes male germ cell development independent of meiosis suppression. Developmental biology 53 24183939
2009 The highly conserved NANOS2 protein: testis-specific expression and significance for the human male reproduction. Molecular human reproduction 40 19168545
2010 Function of Nanos2 in the male germ cell lineage in mice. Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS 36 20652721
2016 Dazl is a target RNA suppressed by mammalian NANOS2 in sexually differentiating male germ cells. Nature communications 32 27072294
2006 Implication of nanos2-3'UTR in the expression and function of nanos2. Mechanisms of development 28 16806845
2014 Interaction of NANOS2 and NANOS3 with different components of the CNOT complex may contribute to the functional differences in mouse male germ cells. Biology open 26 25416063
2013 The 3'UTR of nanos2 directs enrichment in the germ cell lineage of the sea urchin. Developmental biology 25 23357540
2021 NANOS2 is a sequence-specific mRNA-binding protein that promotes transcript degradation in spermatogonial stem cells. iScience 18 34278268
2024 Nanos2 marks precursors of somatic lineages and is required for germline formation in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis. Science advances 16 39151009
2021 NANOS2 suppresses the cell cycle by repressing mTORC1 activators in embryonic male germ cells. iScience 16 34401671
2020 Mouse dead end1 acts with Nanos2 and Nanos3 to regulate testicular teratoma incidence. PloS one 14 32339196
2018 Nanos3 not nanos1 and nanos2 is a germ cell marker gene in large yellow croaker during embryogenesis. Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & molecular biology 14 29331522
2012 Rhox13 is translated in premeiotic germ cells in male and female mice and is regulated by NANOS2 in the male. Biology of reproduction 14 22190708
2019 Distinct transcriptional regulation of Nanos2 in the germ line and soma by the Wnt and delta/notch pathways. Developmental biology 13 31075220
2018 miR-34c disrupts spermatogonial stem cell homeostasis in cryptorchid testes by targeting Nanos2. Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E 13 30322389
2008 Sexual development of mouse germ cells: Nanos2 promotes the male germ cell fate by suppressing the female pathway. Development, growth & differentiation 13 18430166
2018 NANOS2 acts as an intrinsic regulator of gonocytes-to-spermatogonia transition in the murine testes. Mechanisms of development 12 29339164
2019 ES-mediated chimera analysis revealed requirement of DDX6 for NANOS2 localization and function in mouse germ cells. Scientific reports 11 30679547
2019 Molecular Cloning and Sexually Dimorphic Expression Analysis of nanos2 in the Sea Urchin, Mesocentrotus nudus. International journal of molecular sciences 11 31159444
2022 Discovery of Nanos1 and Nanos2/3 as Germ Cell Markers During Scallop Gonadal Development. Marine biotechnology (New York, N.Y.) 10 35362875
2022 A cooperative mechanism of target RNA selection via germ-cell-specific RNA-binding proteins NANOS2 and DND1. Cell reports 10 35705038
2021 Genetic and structural analysis of the in vivo functional redundancy between murine NANOS2 and NANOS3. Development (Cambridge, England) 10 33199444
2018 Suppression of dsRNA response genes and innate immunity following Oct4, Stella, and Nanos2 overexpression in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Cytokine 10 29501710
2022 LncRNA HOTAIR promotes proliferation and suppresses apoptosis of mouse spermatogonium GC-1 cells by sponging miR-761 to modulate NANOS2 expression. In vitro cellular & developmental biology. Animal 6 35426065
2017 Nanos2 is a molecular marker of inchoate buffalo spermatogonia. Animal reproduction science 5 28982519
2019 Expression and intracellular localization of Nanos2-homologue protein in primordial germ cells and spermatogonial stem cells. Zygote (Cambridge, England) 4 30888312
2019 Expression of Vasa, Nanos2 and Sox9 during initial testicular development in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) submitted to sex reversal. Reproduction, fertility, and development 4 31097079
2018 Nanos2 promotes differentiation of chicken (Gallus gallus) embryonic stem cells to male germ cells. Journal of cellular biochemistry 2 29143989
2016 Pluripotency induction in HEK293T cells by concurrent expression of STELLA, OCT4 and NANOS2. Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2 27794480
2013 The effects of Nanos2 on Boule and Stra8 in male germline stem cells (mGSCs). Molecular biology reports 2 23644984
2025 Genome-wide landscape of miRNA-mRNA-lncRNA-circRNA ceRNA network in Nanos2 deficient mice. PloS one 1 40577378
2025 Morula complementation restores male germline in NANOS2 null sheep. PNAS nexus 1 40607105
2022 Immunomodulatory Properties of Mouse Mesenchymal Stromal/Stem Cells Upon Ectopic Expression of Immunoregulator Nanos2. Stem cell reviews and reports 1 36348161
2018 Nanos2 promotes differentiation of male germ cells basing on the negative regulation of Foxd3 and the treatment of 5-Azadc and TSA. Journal of cellular physiology 1 30146792
2025 RETRACTION: Nanos2 Promotes Differentiation of Chicken (Gallus gallus) Embryonic Stem Cells to Male Germ Cells. Journal of cellular biochemistry 0 40289626
2021 Novel function of Nanos2 in expression of innate immunity genes and its probable roles in maintenance of pluripotency state. Iranian journal of basic medical sciences 0 34094036
2018 [Nanos2 in the male reproductive system: Progress in studies]. Zhonghua nan ke xue = National journal of andrology 0 30173464

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