Cloning and characterization of the gene encoding the bovine BOULE protein

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• 作者：Qingbo Zhang ; Jiahuang Li ; Qifa Li ; Xinfu Li ; Zhenshan Liu ; Dawei Song and Zhuang Xie
• 关键词：Cattle ; yak ; Male sterility ; b ; boule ; Spermatogenesis ; Protein structure
• 刊名：Molecular Genetics and Genomics
• 出版年：2009
• 出版时间：January, 2009
• 年：2009
• 卷：281
• 期：1
• 页码：67-75
• 全文大小：809.3 KB

文摘

The Deleted in Azoospermia (DAZ) genes encode potential RNA-binding proteins that are expressed exclusively in the germ-line. The bovine Deleted in Azoospermia-like gene is a strong candidate for male cattle-yak infertility. In this work, with the goe goal to further reveal the genetic cause of male cattle-yak sterility, another bovine DAZ family gene, b-boule, was isolated and characterized. The b-boule gene is predicted to encode a polypeptide of 295 amino acids with an RNP-type RNA recognition domain. Tertiary structure analysis shows that b-boule binds specifically to polypyrimidine RNAs and might act as a nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle auxiliary factor during germ cell formation and morphological changes of germ cells. RT-PCR assays revealed that b-boule was expressed specifically in the adult testis. However, an extremely low level of expression was detected in the testis of sterile male cattle-yaks. Microstructure of the testes from sterile males showed that type A spermatogonia were the only germ cells present and that few germ cells developed further than the stage of pachytene spermatocytes. These results suggest that b-boule may function in bovine spermatogenesis, and that low levels of b-boule expression might lead to male sterility in cattle-yaks.