Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2012;7(6):e39846. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039846. Epub 2012 Jun 29.
Mouse RC/BTB2 is an unstudied protein of the RCC1 (Regulator of Chromosome Condensation) superfamily. Because of the significant remodeling of chromatin that occurs during spermiogenesis, we characterized the expression and localization of mouse RC/BTB2 in the testis and male germ cells. The Rc/btb2 gene yields two major transcripts: 2.3 kb Rc/btb2-s, present in most somatic tissues examined; and 2.5 kb Rc/btb2-t, which contains a unique non-translated exon in its 5'-UTR that is only detected in the testis. During the first wave of spermatogenesis, Rc/btb2-t mRNA is expressed from day 8 after birth, reaching highest levels of expression at day 30 after birth. The full-length protein contains three RCC1 domains in the N-terminus, and a BTB domain in the C-terminus. In the testis, the protein is detectable from day 12, but is progressively up-regulated to day 30 and day 42 after birth. In spermatids, some of the protein co-localizes with acrosomal markers sp56 and peanut lectin, indicating that it is an acrosomal protein. A GFP-tagged RCC1 domain is present throughout the cytoplasm of transfected CHO cells. However, both GFP-tagged, full-length RC/BTB2 and a GFP-tagged BTB domain localize to vesicles in close proximity to the nuclear membrane, suggesting that the BTB domain might play a role in mediating full-length RC/BTB2 localization. Since RCC1 domains associate with Ran, a small GTPase that regulates molecular trafficking, it is possible that RC/BTB2 plays a role in transporting proteins during acrosome formation.
鼠 RC/BTB2 是 RCC1(染色体凝聚调节剂)超家族中尚未研究的一种蛋白质。由于精子发生过程中染色质发生了显著的重塑,我们研究了 RC/BTB2 在睾丸和雄性生殖细胞中的表达和定位。Rc/btb2 基因产生两种主要的转录本:2.3kb 的 Rc/btb2-s,存在于大多数检查的体组织中;和 2.5kb 的 Rc/btb2-t,其 5'-UTR 中含有独特的非翻译外显子,仅在睾丸中检测到。在第一次精子发生波中,Rc/btb2-tmRNA 从出生后第 8 天开始表达,出生后第 30 天达到表达高峰。全长蛋白的 N 端包含三个 RCC1 结构域,C 端包含一个 BTB 结构域。在睾丸中,该蛋白可从第 12 天检测到,但在出生后第 30 天和第 42 天逐渐上调。在精细胞中,部分蛋白与顶体标记物 sp56 和花生凝集素共定位,表明其为顶体蛋白。GFP 标记的 RCC1 结构域存在于转染的 CHO 细胞的整个细胞质中。然而,全长 GFP 标记的 RC/BTB2 和 GFP 标记的 BTB 结构域都定位于靠近核膜的小泡中,这表明 BTB 结构域可能在介导全长 RC/BTB2 定位中发挥作用。由于 RCC1 结构域与调节分子运输的小 GTPase Ran 结合,因此 RC/BTB2 可能在顶体形成过程中运输蛋白质中发挥作用。