title: Human testis-expressed sequence 101 is limitedly distributed in germinal epithelium of testis and disappears in seminoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Testis-expressed sequence 101 (TEX101) was found to be highly expressed in testis and involved in acrosome reaction in previous studies. Recently, the metastasis suppressor function of TEX101 in cancer was disclosed, but the comprehensive investigation of its expression has rarely been reported. In this study, the expression features of TEX101 in normal human organs and seminoma were systematically analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemistry demonstrated intense staining of TEX101 in human testis tissues; however, its expression in 27 other types of normal human organs, including the ovary, was negligible. Higher expression of TEX101 was observed in the spermatocytes and spermatids of the testis, but relatively lower staining was detected in spermatogonia. Western blotting showed a single TEX101 band of 38 kDa in human testis, but it did not correspond to the predicted molecular weight of its mature form at 21 KDa. Furthermore, we examined seminoma tissues by immunohistochemistry and found that none of the 36 samples expressed TEX101.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data confirmed TEX101 to be a testis protein that could be related to the maturation process of male germ cells. The lack of TEX101 in seminoma indicated its potential role in tumor progression. This characteristic expression of TEX101 could provide a valuable reference for understanding its biological functions.
authors.forename: Cong-Cong
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Yu-Huan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Dan-Dan
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Jin-Liang
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lan-Tu
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Gou
mesh_terms: D015153:Blotting, Western; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009417:Nerve Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000502:physiology; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism; D012670:Seminiferous Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018239:Seminoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013079:Sperm Maturation / Q000502:physiology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000254:growth & development; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; C539319:TEX101 protein, human