A protein kinase encoded by the t complex responder gene causes non-mendelian inheritance.
Males heterozygous for the t-haplotype form of mouse chromosome 17 preferentially transmit the t-chromosome to their progeny. Several distorter/sterility loci carried on the t-haplotype together impair flagellar function in all spermatozoa whereas the responder, Tcr, rescues t-sperm but not wild-type sperm. Thus, t-sperm have an advantage over wild-type sperm in fertilizing egg cells. We have isolated Tcr by positional cloning and show that it is a member of a novel protein kinase gene family, designated Smok, which is expressed late during spermiogenesis. Smok kinases are components of a signal cascade which may control sperm motility. Tcr has a reduced kinase activity, which may allow it to counterbalance a signalling impairment caused by the distorter/sterility loci. Tcr transgene constructs cause non-mendelian transmission of chromosomes on which they are carried, which leads to sex-ratio distortion when Tcr cosegregates with the Y chromosome.
Herrmann
B G
BG
Max-Planck-Institute of Immunobiology, Freiburg, Germany. herrmann@immunbio.mpg.de
Koschorz
B
B
Wertz
K
K
McLaughlin
K J
KJ
Kispert
A
A
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015870:Gene Expression; D006239:Haplotypes; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013082:Sperm Tail; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000201:enzymology*
D011494:Protein Kinases; C403405:Smok1 protein, mouse