A novel testis-specific metallothionein-like protein, tesmin, is an early marker of male germ cell differentiation.
We have cloned a novel cDNA encoding testis-specific metallothionein-like protein, tesmin, by randomized RT-PCR on RNA from mouse tissues. Two tesmin-related transcripts (2.2 and 1.8 kb) in mouse and one (2.1 kb) in human were detected and cloned. These encode a cysteine-rich 32-kDa protein that contained a metallothionein-like motif. In situ hybridization analysis in adult mouse testis showed that tesmin is specifically expressed in spermatocytes. Quantitative RT-PCR at different stages of mouse postnatal development (days 4, 8, 12, 18, and 42) revealed that tesmin is expressed as early as day 8 and coincides with the entry of germ cells into meiosis. Furthermore, adult W/Wv sterile mice that harbor the c-kit mutation lacked tesmin expression. The gene is assigned to mouse chromosome 19B, which has been reported to translocate (11;19) in male sterile mice.
Sugihara
T
T
National Institute of Bioscience and Human-Technology, Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, 1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan. sugihara@cimmed.com
Wadhwa
R
R
Kaul
S C
SC
Mitsui
Y
Y
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D013737:Testis / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
C119112:tesmin; D008668:Metallothionein