Circular transcripts of the testis-determining gene Sry in adult mouse testis.
Sry is expressed at higher levels in the adult testis, where no function has been determined, than in the genital ridge, its critical site of action. cDNA and 5' RACE clones isolated from testis or from Sry-transfected cell lines have an unusual structure, with 3' sequences located in a 5' position. RNAase protection assays and reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions confirmed that these unusual RNA molecules represent the most abundant transcript in testis. Furthermore, oligonucleotide hybridization and RNAase H digestion proved that these Sry RNA molecules are circular. Similar transcripts were detected in the testes of mice with Mus musculus musculus, Mus musculus domesticus, and Mus spretus Sry genes. The circular RNA is found in the cytoplasm but is not substantially bound to polysomes. We suggest that the circles arise from normal splicing processes as a consequence of the unusual genomic structure surrounding the Sry locus in the mouse.
Capel
B
B
Laboratory of Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Medical Research, London, England.
Swain
A
A
Nicolis
S
S
Hacker
A
A
Walter
M
M
Koopman
P
P
Goodfellow
P
P
Lovell-Badge
R
R
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015723:Gene Library; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009115:Muridae; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009928:Organ Specificity; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis*; D000079962:RNA, Circular; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D016914:Ribonuclease H; D006163:Ribonuclease T1; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic; D051876:Sex-Determining Region Y Protein; D013045:Species Specificity; D013737:Testis / Q000737:chemistry*; D014157:Transcription Factors
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000079962:RNA, Circular; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051876:Sex-Determining Region Y Protein; C497746:Sry protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors; D012313:RNA; D016914:Ribonuclease H; D006163:Ribonuclease T1; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic