Aim:

To identify a novel alternative transcript of the novel retinal pigment epithelial cell gene (NORPEG) expressed in the human testis.

Methods:

A human testis cDNA microarray was established and hybridized with cDNA probes from human fetal testes, adult testes and human spermatozoa. Differentially expressed clones were sequenced and analyzed. One of these clones was a short transcript of NORPEG which we proceeded to analyze by RT-PCR.

Results:

The novel short alternative transcript of NORPEG was isolated and named sNORPEG. It was 3486 bp in length and contained a 2952-bp open reading frame, encoding a 110.4-kDa protein of 983 amino acids. Amino acid sequence analysis showed that the sNORPEG protein contains six ankyrin repeats and two coiled-coil domains. It shares a high homology with the NORPEG and ankycorbin proteins in both its sequence and motifs. Blasting the human genome database localized sNORPEG to human chromosome 5p 13.2–13.3. Expression profiles showed that sNORPEG was expressed in human fetal testes, adult testes and spermatozoa. Moreover, sNORPEG was found to be ubiquitously expressed in human tissues.

Conclusion:

sNORPEG is expressed in different developmental stages of the testis and encodes a protein that may have roles in human testis development and spermatogenesis.

References

1. Peng YF, Mandai K, Sakisaka T, Okabe N, Yamamoto Y, Yokoyama S, et al. Ankycorbin: a novel actin cytoskeleton-associated protein. Genes Cells 2000; 5: 1001–8. | Article | PubMed | ChemPort |
2. Lui WY, Lee WM, Cheng CY. Sertoli-germ cell adherens junction dynamics in the testis are regulated by RhoB GTPase via the ROCK/LIMK signaling pathway. Biol Reprod 2003; 68: 2189–206. | Article | PubMed | ChemPort |
3. Bouchard MJ, Dong Y, McDermott BM Jr, Lam DH, Brown KR, Shelanski M, et al. Defects in nuclear and cytoskeletal morphology and mitochondrial localization in spermatozoa of mice lacking nectin-2, a component of cell-cell adherens junctions. Mol Cell Biol 2000; 20: 2865–73. | Article | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
4. Scarlett CJ, Lin M, Aitken RJ. Actin polymerisation during morphogenesis of the acrosome as spermatozoa undergo epididymal maturation in the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii). J Anat 2001; 198 (Pt 1): 93–101. | Article | PubMed | ChemPort |
5. Sha J, Zhou Z, Li J, Yin L, Yang H, Hu G, et al. Identification of testis development and spermatogenesis-related genes in human and mouse testes using cDNA arrays. Mol Hum Reprod 2002; 8, 511–7. | Article | PubMed | ChemPort |
6. Sha JH, Zhou ZM, Li JM, Lin M, Zhu H, Zhu H, et al. Expression of a novel bHLH-Zip gene in human testis. Asian J Androl 2003; 5: 83–8. | PubMed | ChemPort |
7. Wang H, Zhou Z, Xu M, Li J, Xiao J, Xu ZY, et al. A spermatogenesis-related gene expression profile in human spermatozoa and its potential clinical application. J Mol Med 2004; 82: 317–24. | Article | PubMed | ISI |
8. Bork P. Hundreds of ankyrin-like repeats in functionally diverse proteins: mobile modules that cross phyla horizontally? Proteins 1993; 17: 363–74. | Article | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
9. Sedgwick SG, Smerdon SJ. The ankyrin repeat: a diversity of interactions on a common structural framework. Trends Biochem Sci 1999; 24: 311–6. | Article | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
10. Albert S, Despres B, Guilleminot J, Bechtold N, Pelletier G, Delseny M, et al. The EMB 506 gene encodes a novel ankyrin repeat containing protein that is essential for the normal development of Arabidopsis embryos. Plant J 1999; 17: 169–79. | Article | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
11. Mosavi LK, Minor DL Jr, Peng ZY. Consensus-derived structural determinants of the ankyrin repeat motif. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2002; 99: 16029–34. | Article | PubMed | ChemPort |
12. Burkhard P, Stetefeld J, Strelkov SV. Coiled coils: a highly versatile protein folding motif. Trends Cell Biol 2001; 11: 82–8. | Article | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
13. Blake DJ, Tinsley JM, Davies KE, Knight AE, Winder SJ, Kendrick-Jones J. Coiled-coil regions in the carboxy-terminal domains of dystrophin and related proteins: potentials for protein-protein interactions. Trends Biochem Sci 1995; 20: 133–5. | Article | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
14. Seipel K, O'Brien SP, Iannotti E, Medley QG, Streuli M. Tara, a novel F-actin binding protein, associates with the Trio guanine nucleotide exchange factor and regulates actin 20 cytoskeletal organization. J Cell Sci 2001; 114: 389–99. | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
15. Singh A, Hitchcock-DeGregori SE. Local destabilization of the tropomyosin coiled coil gives the molecular flexibility required for actin binding. Biochemistry 2003; 42: 14114–21. | Article | PubMed | ChemPort |
16. Inokuchi J, Komiya M, Baba I, Naito S, Sasazuki T, Shirasawa S. Deregulated expression of KRAP, a novel gene encoding actin-interacting protein, in human colon cancer cells. J Hum Genet 2004; 49: 46–52. | Article | PubMed | ChemPort |
17. Kutty RK, Kutty G, Samuel W, Duncan T, Bridges CC, El-Sherbeeny A, et al. Molecular characterization and developmental expression of NORPEG, a novel gene induced by retinoic acid. J Biol Chem 2001; 276: 2831–40. | Article | PubMed | ChemPort |
18. Vogl AW. Distribution and function of organized concentrations of actin filaments in mammalian spermatogenic cells and Sertoli cells. Int Rev Cytol 1989; 119: 1–56. | PubMed | ChemPort |
19. Cheng CY, Mruk DD. Cell junction dynamics in the testis: Sertoli-germ cell interactions and male contraceptive development. Physiol Rev 2002; 82: 825–74. | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |
20. Eddy EM. Male germ cell gene expression. Recent Prog Horm Res. 2002; 57: 103–28. | Article | PubMed | ISI | ChemPort |

MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS

These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.