A candidate spermatogenesis gene on the mouse Y chromosome is homologous to ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1.
The human X-linked gene A1S9 complements a temperature-sensitive cell-cycle mutation in mouse L cells, and encodes the ubiquitin-activating enzyme E1. The gene has been reported to escape X-chromosome inactivation, but there is some conflicting evidence. We have isolated part of the mouse A1s9 gene, mapped it to the proximal portion of the X chromosome and shown that it undergoes normal X-inactivation. We also detected two copies of the gene on the short arm of the mouse Y chromosome (A1s9Y-1 and A1s9Y-2). The functional A1s9Y gene (A1s9Y-1) is expressed in testis and is lost in the deletion mutant Sxrb. Therefore A1s9Y-1 is a candidate for the spermatogenesis gene, Spy, which maps to this region. A1s9X is similar to the Zfx gene in undergoing X-inactivation, yet having homologous sequences on the short arm of the Y chromosome, which are expressed in the testis. These Y-linked genes may form part of a coregulated group of genes which function during spermatogenesis.
Kay
G F
GF
Section of Comparative Biology, MRC Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, UK.
Ashworth
A
A
Penny
G D
GD
Dunlop
M
M
Swift
S
S
Brockdorff
N
N
Rastan
S
S
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics; D008025:Ligases / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D044764:Ubiquitin-Activating Enzymes; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D014960:X Chromosome; D014998:Y Chromosome
D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D008025:Ligases; D044764:Ubiquitin-Activating Enzymes