Fu Xia-Fei, Cheng Shun-Feng, Wang Lin-Qing, Yin Shen, De Felici Massimo, Shen Wei
1. Institute of Reproductive Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China ; 2. College of Life Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China.
1. Institute of Reproductive Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China ; 3. Key Laboratory of Animal Reproduction and Germplasm Enhancement in Universities of Shandong, College of Animal Science and Technology, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China.
Int J Biol Sci. 2015 Aug 15;11(10):1226-35. doi: 10.7150/ijbs.11536. eCollection 2015.
DAZ family proteins are found almost exclusively in germ cells in distant animal species. Deletion or mutations of their encoding genes usually severely impair either oogenesis or spermatogenesis or both. The family includes Boule (or Boll), Dazl (or Dazla) and DAZ genes. Boule and Dazl are situated on autosomes while DAZ, exclusive of higher primates, is located on the Y chromosome. Deletion of DAZ gene is the most common causes of infertility in humans. These genes, encoding for RNA binding proteins, contain a highly conserved RNA recognition motif and at least one DAZ repeat encoding for a 24 amino acids sequence able to bind other mRNA binding proteins. Basically, Daz family proteins function as adaptors for target mRNA transport and activators of their translation. In some invertebrate species, BOULE protein play a pivotal role in germline specification and a conserved regulatory role in meiosis. Depending on the species, DAZL is expressed in primordial germ cells (PGCs) and/or pre-meiotic and meiotic germ cells of both sexes. Daz is found in fetal gonocytes, spermatogonia and spermatocytes of adult testes. Here we discuss DAZ family genes in a phylogenic perspective, focusing on the common and distinct features of these genes, and their pivotal roles during gametogenesis evolved during evolution.
DAZ家族蛋白几乎仅在远缘动物物种的生殖细胞中被发现。其编码基因的缺失或突变通常会严重损害卵子发生或精子发生，或两者皆受影响。该家族包括Boule（或Boll）、Dazl（或Dazla）和DAZ基因。Boule和Dazl位于常染色体上，而除高等灵长类动物外，DAZ位于Y染色体上。DAZ基因的缺失是人类不育的最常见原因。这些编码RNA结合蛋白的基因包含一个高度保守的RNA识别基序和至少一个编码能够结合其他mRNA结合蛋白的24个氨基酸序列的DAZ重复序列。基本上，Daz家族蛋白作为靶mRNA转运的衔接子及其翻译的激活子发挥作用。在一些无脊椎动物物种中，BOULE蛋白在生殖系特化中起关键作用，在减数分裂中起保守的调节作用。根据物种不同，DAZL在两性的原始生殖细胞（PGCs）和/或减数分裂前及减数分裂期的生殖细胞中表达。Daz存在于成年睾丸的胎儿生殖母细胞、精原细胞和精母细胞中。在这里，我们从系统发育的角度讨论DAZ家族基因，重点关注这些基因的共同和独特特征，以及它们在进化过程中配子发生期间所起的关键作用。
