Mouse autosomal homolog of DAZ, a candidate male sterility gene in humans, is expressed in male germ cells before and after puberty
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); and others
Deletion of the Azoospermia Factor (AZF) region of the human Y chromosome results in spermatogenic failure. While the identity of the critical missing gene has yet to be established, a strong candidate is the putative RNA-binding protein DAZ (Deleted in Azoospermia). Here we describe the mouse homolog of DAZ. Unlike human DAZ, which is Y-linked, in mouse the Dazh (DAZ homolog) gene maps to chromosome 17. Nonetheless, the predicted amino acid sequences of the gene products are quite similar, especially in their RNP/RRM (putative RNA-binding) domains, and both genes are transcribed predominantly in testes; the mouse gene is transcribed at a lower level in ovaries. Dazh transcripts were not detected in testes of mice that lack germ cells. In testes of wildtype mice, Dazh transcription is detectable 1 day after birth (when the only germ cells are prospermatogonia), increases steadily as spermatogonial stem cells appear, plateaus as the first wave of spermatogenic cells enters meiosis (10 days after birth), and is sustained at this level thereafter. This unique pattern of expression suggests the Dazh participates in differentiation, proliferation, or maintenance of germ cell founder populations before, during, and after the pubertal onset of spermatogenesis. Such functions could readily account for the diverse spermatogenic defects observed in human males with AZF deletion. 29 refs., 4 figs.
- OSTI ID:
- 469041
- Journal Information:
- Genomics, Vol. 35, Issue 2; Other Information: PBD: 15 Jul 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
BASIC STUDIES
HUMAN Y CHROMOSOME
GENETIC MAPPING
CHROMOSOMAL ABERRATIONS
GENES
GENE MUTATIONS
TRANSCRIPTION
GENE REGULATION
DNA SEQUENCING
GERM CELLS
CELL PROLIFERATION
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
MICE
ONTOGENESIS
HEREDITARY DISEASES
STERILITY
SPERMATOGENESIS
CHROMOSOMES
AMINO ACID SEQUENCE
STEM CELLS
NUCLEOTIDES
DNA HYBRIDIZATION
FLUORESCENCE