Sugiura Shin, Kashiwabara Shin-ichi, Iwase Shigeki, Baba Tadashi
Institute of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba Science City, Ibaraki, Japan.
J Reprod Dev. 2003 Feb;49(1):107-11. doi: 10.1262/jrd.49.107.
The gene encoding TATA-binding protein-related factor 2 (TRF2/TLF/TLP/TRP), essential for the progress of spermiogenesis, is abundantly expressed in mammalian testis. A sequence database search revealed that mouse TRF2 is encoded by two mRNAs containing the same protein-coding region and different 5'-untranslated regions. Northern blot analysis using DNA probes specific for the 5'-untranslated regions demonstrated that these two mRNAs are distinguished from each other by the expression patterns: ubiquitous and testis-specific expression. The ubiquitously expressed form of TRF2 mRNA was present at a very low level throughout testicular development, whereas expression of the testis-specific form was first detectable in the 14-day-old testis, and the mRNA level abundantly increased at the later stages of testicular development. Western blot analysis indicated that the TRF2 level increases during testicular development, which is consistent with the expression pattern of the testicular form of TRF2 mRNA. Thus, the presence of the testis-specific form of TRF2 mRNA may account for overexpression of the TRF2 gene in the testis.
编码TATA结合蛋白相关因子2（TRF2/TLF/TLP/TRP）的基因对精子发生过程至关重要，在哺乳动物睾丸中大量表达。序列数据库搜索显示，小鼠TRF2由两个mRNA编码，它们具有相同的蛋白质编码区和不同的5'非翻译区。使用针对5'非翻译区的DNA探针进行的Northern印迹分析表明，这两种mRNA在表达模式上彼此不同：普遍表达和睾丸特异性表达。TRF2 mRNA的普遍表达形式在整个睾丸发育过程中水平极低，而睾丸特异性形式的表达在14日龄睾丸中首次可检测到，并且在睾丸发育后期mRNA水平大量增加。蛋白质印迹分析表明，TRF2水平在睾丸发育过程中升高，这与TRF2 mRNA睾丸形式的表达模式一致。因此，TRF2 mRNA睾丸特异性形式的存在可能是睾丸中TRF2基因过表达的原因。
