title: Identification of Zfp393, a germ cell-specific gene encoding a novel zinc finger protein.
abstract: Using the digital differential display program of the National Center for Biotechnology Information, we identified a contig of expression sequence tags (ESTs) which were unique to ovary, testis, and egg libraries. The full-length cDNA of this transcript was deduced and further confirmed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The cDNA encodes a novel protein of 341 amino acids with a nuclear localization signal. The carboxyl-terminus of the protein contains three C2H2 zinc fingers, and the NH(2)-terminus is proline and serine-rich. Based on the conserved zinc finger motifs, we have termed this novel protein as zinc finger protein 393 (ZFP393). Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses revealed that Zfp393 mRNA was exclusively expressed in testis and ovary. The expression sites were further localized by in situ hybridization to step 3-8 spermatids in testis and growing oocytes in ovary. The Zfp393 gene consists of three exons spanning approximately 8 kb on the distal part of mouse chromosome 4. The carboxyl-terminal zinc finger region is highly homologous to several zinc finger-containing proteins, but no proteins were found to share sequence similarity with the NH(2)-terminal region of ZFP393. Genomic database mining and Southern blot analysis indicate that Zfp393 is a single copy gene. We hypothesize that ZFP393 functions as a germ cell-specific transcription factor that plays important roles in spermatid differentiation and oocyte development.
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons; D020224:Expressed Sequence Tags; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010053:Ovary / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013737:Testis / Q000196:embryology; D013997:Time Factors; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D016335:Zinc Fingers
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; C474193:Klf17 protein, mouse; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors