Molecular Human Reproduction, Vol. 6, No. 11, 983-991,
November 2000
© 2000 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
Ovary and oogenesis |
Mouse staufen genes are expressed in germ cells during oogenesis and spermatogenesis
1 Medical Research Council, Human Reproductive Sciences Unit, Centre for Reproductive Biology, 37 Chalmers Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9ET, and 2 Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Edinburgh, Darwin Building King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JR, Scotland, UK
Abstract
The Drosophila melanogaster staufen gene encodes an RNA binding protein (Dm Stau) required for the localization and translational repression of mRNAs within the Drosophila oocyte. In mammals translational repression is important for normal spermatogenesis in males and storage of mRNAs in the oocytes of females. In the present study we identified two mouse cDNA expressed sequence tags (ESTs), encoding proteins with significant homology to Dm Stau and used these firstly to screen a mouse kidney cDNA library and secondly to determine whether staufen mRNAs are expressed in the ovaries and testes of mice and rats. Sequence analysis of the cDNAs revealed that they originated from two different genes. Using Northern blots of RNAs from kidneys, ovaries and testes, both cDNAs hybridized to mRNA species of ~3 kb in all three tissues. On sections of mouse ovaries, staufen mRNA was localized specifically to oocytes. On sections of mouse testes, staufen mRNA was expressed in spermatocytes found in seminiferous tubules at stages VI–XII of the spermatogenic cycle. In conclusion, we have shown that the mammalian homologues of Dm stau are expressed in germ cells in both male and female mice, consistent with a role for these RNA binding proteins in mammalian gametogenesis.
gametogenesis/ovary/RNA binding/staufen/testis
Notes
3 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Institute of Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Edinburgh, Darwin Building King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JR, Scotland, UK. E-mail: Mary.Bownes{at}ed.ac.uk
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