Structure and organization of the RBMY genes on the human Y chromosome: transposition and amplification of an ancestral autosomal hnRNPG gene.
The RBMY (RNA-binding motif, Y chromosome) gene family encodes a germ-cell-specific nuclear protein implicated in spermatogenesis. It consists of approximately 30 genes and pseudogenes, found on both arms of the Y chromosome. RBMY shares high homology with an autosomal hnRNPG gene that contains an RNA-binding motif and one of the four SRGY repeats found in RBMY. One proposal is that RBMY represents an ancestral hnRNPG gene, transposed to the Y chromosome and then amplified. We characterized seven RBMY genes in interval 6 of the Y chromosome long arm. Four have the normal structure with 12 exons spanning 15 kb, whereas one lacks the first 3 exons, therefore representing a pseudogene. The remaining two genes belong to a different subfamily, resembling the autosomal hnRNPG gene with only one SRGY repeat. We also found that most RBMY genes in interval 6 are arranged in tandem. The structure and organization of the Y-linked RBMY genes support the transposition-amplification hypothesis.
Chai
N N
NN
Division of Medical Genetics, Harbor-ULCA Medical Center, Torrance, California 90502, USA.
Zhou
H
H
Hernandez
J
J
Najmabadi
H
H
Bhasin
S
S
Yen
P H
PH
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005784:Gene Amplification / Q000235:genetics*; D034441:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012332:RNA, Heterogeneous Nuclear / Q000235:genetics*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014998:Y Chromosome / Q000235:genetics*
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D034441:Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C501499:RBMY1A1 protein, human; D012332:RNA, Heterogeneous Nuclear; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C501500:Rbmy protein, mouse; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins