title: The lipocalin sperm coating lizard epididymal secretory protein family: mRNA structural analysis and sequential expression during the annual cycle of the lizard, Lacerta vivipara.
abstract: The epididymal epithelial cells of the lizard (Lacerta vivipara) produce large amounts of specific proteins under androgenic control. Amongst them, a major protein family that binds to the head of spermatozoa, the lizard epididymal secretory protein (LESP) family, has been identified as a member of the lipocalin superfamily. LESPs are composed of 9 elements that present an identical molecular mass of 18 000 Da but have a large range of pHi (3.5 to 9). The structural analysis of this protein family was performed by the determination and comparison of both the aminoterminal sequence of each element and the complete sequence of three specific LESP cDNA clones. When not identical, LESP elements present randomly dispatched nucleotide and amino acid substitutions, indicating the existence of at least five LESP mRNA populations encoded by a multigenic family. We determined that these LESP genes are differentially expressed during the annual epididymal cycle.
authors.affiliation: Génétique des Eucaryotes et Endocrinologie Moléculaire, CNRS UMR 6547, Université Blaise Pascal-Clermont Ferrand II, 63177 Aubière cedex, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morel
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dufaure
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Depeiges
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D030501:Epididymal Secretory Proteins; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D008116:Lizards; D008297:Male; D008667:Metalloproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010507:Periodicity; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism*; D013735:Testicular Hormones / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D030501:Epididymal Secretory Proteins; D008667:Metalloproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013735:Testicular Hormones