Molecular mechanisms of male germ cell differentiation

Hecht, Norman B.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1521-1878(199807)20:7<555::aid-bies6>3.0.co;2-j

Cited by 415 publications

(225 citation statements)

References 73 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

214

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Translational control, however, represents a major mechanism of gene regulation in germ cell differentiation and early embryogenesis and in late spermatogenesis (Ritcher, 1993;Schafer et al, 1995;Hecht, 1998). Germ cells store masked mRNAs, and the unmasking of the mRNAs for protein synthesis plays an important role in the meiotic progression of oocytes to eggs and in the late stage of spermatogenesis (Hecht, 1995;Eddy and O'Brien, 1997).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expression of Y-box-binding protein dbpC/contrin, a potentially new cancer/testis antigen

et al. 2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Y-box-binding proteins are members of the human cold-shock domain protein superfamily, which includes dbpA, dbpB/YB-1, and dbpC/contrin. dbpC/contrin is a germ cell-specific Y-box-binding protein and is suggested to function as a nuclear transcription factor and RNA-binding protein in the cytoplasm. Whereas ubiquitous dbpB/YB-1 expression has been well studied in various types of human carcinomas as a prognostic or predictive marker, the dbpC/contrin expression in human tumour cells has not been reported. In this report, we provide the first evidence showing that dbpC was highly expressed in human testicular seminoma and ovarian dysgerminomas, and in carcinomas in other tissues and that its expression in normal tissues is nearly restricted to germ cells and placental trophoblasts. These results indicate that dbpC/contrin would be a potentially novel cancer/testis antigen.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expression of Y-box-binding protein dbpC/contrin, a potentially new cancer/testis antigen

et al. 2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Therefore, it remains to be seen whether the observed expression differences between HLAlinked and non-HLA-linked OR are functionally relevant. The functional significance of testicular OR expression has been questioned repeatedly (49), in particular in connection with the seemingly "promiscuous" expression of various genes that serve no obvious function within the testis. However, several lines of evidence argue in favor of the functionality of OR in testis: (i) promiscuous gene expression is also a feature of certain thymic medullary cells, where it serves a purpose within negative T-cell selection (50); (ii) certain OR have been detected on spermatozoa (13), proving testicular translation of OR transcripts; (iii) the expression levels of OR genes within the testis appear to be comparable with that in the main olfactory epithelium (7) 4 ; and (vi) the G-protein used by OR for signal transduction is expressed in testis (45), and spermatozoa seem to be endowed also with proteins involved in olfactory desensitization (51), implying that testicular OR expression is a meaningful event.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Complex Transcription and Splicing of Odorant Receptor Genes

Volz

Ehlers

Younger

et al. 2003

Journal of Biological Chemistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Human major histocompatibility (human leucocyte antigen (HLA)) complex-linked odorant receptor (OR) genes are among the best characterized OR genes in the human genome. In addition to their functions as odorant receptors in olfactory epithelium, they have been suggested to play a role in the fertilization process. Here, we report the first in-depth analysis of their expression and regulation within testicular tissue. Sixteen HLA-linked OR and three non-HLA-linked OR were analyzed. One OR gene (hs6M1-16, in positive transcriptional orientation) exhibited six different transcriptional start sites combined with extensive alternative splicing within the 5 -untranslated region, the coding exon, and the 3 -untranslated region. Long distance splicing, exon sharing, and premature polyadenylation were features of another three OR loci (hs6M1-18, -21, and -27, all upstream of hs6M1-16, but in negative transcriptional orientation). Determination of the transcriptional start sites of these OR genes identified a region of 81 bp with potential bi-directional transcriptional activity. The results demonstrate that HLA-linked OR genes are subject to unusually complex transcriptional regulatory mechanisms.

show abstract

“…Marked phenotypic variation across sperm cells within a single ejaculate is ubiquitous, both in terms of sperm morphology [6][7][8] and performance [9]. However, sperm are generally considered products of the diploid paternal genome with no endogenous haploid gene expression, and sperm phenotype is thus thought not to reflect the haploid genome they carry [10]. Nevertheless, several mechanisms, both genetic and epigenetic, can potentially generate a relationship between sperm phenotype and zygote performance (see §4).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sperm variation within a single ejaculate affects offspring development in Atlantic salmon

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is generally believed that variation in sperm phenotype within a single ejaculate has no consequences for offspring performance, because sperm phenotypes are thought not to reflect sperm genotypes. We show that variation in individual sperm function within an ejaculate affects the performance of the resulting offspring in the Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. We experimentally manipulated the time between sperm activation and fertilization in order to select for sperm cohorts differing in longevity within single ejaculates of wild caught male salmon. We found that within-ejaculate variation in sperm longevity significantly affected offspring development and hence time until hatching. Whether these effects have a genetic or epigenetic basis needs to be further evaluated. However, our results provide experimental evidence for transgenerational effects of individual sperm function.

show abstract

Molecular mechanisms of male germ cell differentiation

Cited by 415 publications

References 73 publications

Expression of Y-box-binding protein dbpC/contrin, a potentially new cancer/testis antigen

Expression of Y-box-binding protein dbpC/contrin, a potentially new cancer/testis antigen

Complex Transcription and Splicing of Odorant Receptor Genes

Sperm variation within a single ejaculate affects offspring development in Atlantic salmon

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About