Sequence analysis of a variety of primate fertilin α genes: Evidence for non-functional genes in the gorilla and man

Testicular and epididymal ADAMs: expression and function during fertilization

“…[8][9][10] These genes might have arisen through retrotransposition of spliced mRNA transcribed from a primordial ADAM gene into the mamma lian genome, resulting in the loss of introns. 1 This genomic organization is strikingly different to that of group II and group III ADAMs, which span large regions of mammalian genomes and contain multiple (19)(20)(21)(22)(23) small exons and variably sized introns that interrupt the protein-coding regions ( Figure 1). [11][12][13] Many group I ADAMs are present as multicopy genes in the mouse genome; these gene copies lie adjacent to one another on the same chromosome, suggesting that they have undergone gene duplication during evolution.…”

Testicular and epididymal ADAMs: expression and function during fertilization

“…[8][9][10] These genes might have arisen through retrotransposition of spliced mRNA transcribed from a primordial ADAM gene into the mamma lian genome, resulting in the loss of introns. 1 This genomic organization is strikingly different to that of group II and group III ADAMs, which span large regions of mammalian genomes and contain multiple (19)(20)(21)(22)(23) small exons and variably sized introns that interrupt the protein-coding regions ( Figure 1). [11][12][13] Many group I ADAMs are present as multicopy genes in the mouse genome; these gene copies lie adjacent to one another on the same chromosome, suggesting that they have undergone gene duplication during evolution.…”

Transcripts encoding the sperm surface protein tMDC II are non-functional in the human

“…We have recently reported very similar findings in the case of the human tMDC I gene, which is also non-functional in the human [17]. Taken together with the absence of a functional human fertilin α gene [18,19], it is now apparent that three of the five MDC proteins abundantly expressed in the testes of non-human primates and located on mature caudal sperm [10] are not expressed in the human, despite the substantial experimental data implicating two of these proteins (fertilin α and tMDC I) in sperm-egg interactions in rodent systems [5][6][7]13,14]. Such a finding is in keeping with our recently proposed hypothesis [23] that sperm-egg interactions involve many sperm proteins which act co-operatively, but are not absolutely essential.…”

Transcripts encoding the sperm surface protein tMDC II are non-functional in the human

“…We have recently reported very similar findings in the case of the human tMDC I gene, which is also non-functional in the human Human sperm-protein-tMDC II gene is non-functional [17]. Taken together with the absence of a functional human fertilin α gene [18,19], it is now apparent that three of the five MDC proteins abundantly expressed in the testes of non-human primates and located on mature caudal sperm [10] are not expressed in the human, despite the substantial experimental data implicating two of these proteins (fertilin α and tMDC I) in sperm-egg interactions in rodent systems [5][6][7]13,14]. Such a finding is in keeping with our recently proposed hypothesis [23] that sperm-egg interactions involve many sperm proteins which act co-operatively, but are not absolutely essential.…”

Testicular and epididymal ADAMs: expression and function during fertilization

“…[8][9][10] These genes might have arisen through retrotransposition of spliced mRNA transcribed from a primordial ADAM gene into the mamma lian genome, resulting in the loss of introns. 1 This genomic organization is strikingly different to that of group II and group III ADAMs, which span large regions of mammalian genomes and contain multiple (19)(20)(21)(22)(23) small exons and variably sized introns that interrupt the protein-coding regions ( Figure 1). [11][12][13] Many group I ADAMs are present as multicopy genes in the mouse genome; these gene copies lie adjacent to one another on the same chromosome, suggesting that they have undergone gene duplication during evolution.…”

Transcripts encoding the sperm surface protein tMDC II are non-functional in the human

“…We have recently reported very similar findings in the case of the human tMDC I gene, which is also non-functional in the human [17]. Taken together with the absence of a functional human fertilin α gene [18,19], it is now apparent that three of the five MDC proteins abundantly expressed in the testes of non-human primates and located on mature caudal sperm [10] are not expressed in the human, despite the substantial experimental data implicating two of these proteins (fertilin α and tMDC I) in sperm-egg interactions in rodent systems [5][6][7]13,14]. Such a finding is in keeping with our recently proposed hypothesis [23] that sperm-egg interactions involve many sperm proteins which act co-operatively, but are not absolutely essential.…”

Transcripts encoding the sperm surface protein tMDC II are non-functional in the human

“…We have recently reported very similar findings in the case of the human tMDC I gene, which is also non-functional in the human Human sperm-protein-tMDC II gene is non-functional [17]. Taken together with the absence of a functional human fertilin α gene [18,19], it is now apparent that three of the five MDC proteins abundantly expressed in the testes of non-human primates and located on mature caudal sperm [10] are not expressed in the human, despite the substantial experimental data implicating two of these proteins (fertilin α and tMDC I) in sperm-egg interactions in rodent systems [5][6][7]13,14]. Such a finding is in keeping with our recently proposed hypothesis [23] that sperm-egg interactions involve many sperm proteins which act co-operatively, but are not absolutely essential.…”

Testicular and epididymal ADAMs: expression and function during fertilization

“…[8][9][10] These genes might have arisen through retrotransposition of spliced mRNA transcribed from a primordial ADAM gene into the mamma lian genome, resulting in the loss of introns. 1 This genomic organization is strikingly different to that of group II and group III ADAMs, which span large regions of mammalian genomes and contain multiple (19)(20)(21)(22)(23) small exons and variably sized introns that interrupt the protein-coding regions ( Figure 1). [11][12][13] Many group I ADAMs are present as multicopy genes in the mouse genome; these gene copies lie adjacent to one another on the same chromosome, suggesting that they have undergone gene duplication during evolution.…”

Transcripts encoding the sperm surface protein tMDC II are non-functional in the human

“…We have recently reported very similar findings in the case of the human tMDC I gene, which is also non-functional in the human [17]. Taken together with the absence of a functional human fertilin α gene [18,19], it is now apparent that three of the five MDC proteins abundantly expressed in the testes of non-human primates and located on mature caudal sperm [10] are not expressed in the human, despite the substantial experimental data implicating two of these proteins (fertilin α and tMDC I) in sperm-egg interactions in rodent systems [5][6][7]13,14]. Such a finding is in keeping with our recently proposed hypothesis [23] that sperm-egg interactions involve many sperm proteins which act co-operatively, but are not absolutely essential.…”

Transcripts encoding the sperm surface protein tMDC II are non-functional in the human

“…We have recently reported very similar findings in the case of the human tMDC I gene, which is also non-functional in the human Human sperm-protein-tMDC II gene is non-functional [17]. Taken together with the absence of a functional human fertilin α gene [18,19], it is now apparent that three of the five MDC proteins abundantly expressed in the testes of non-human primates and located on mature caudal sperm [10] are not expressed in the human, despite the substantial experimental data implicating two of these proteins (fertilin α and tMDC I) in sperm-egg interactions in rodent systems [5][6][7]13,14]. Such a finding is in keeping with our recently proposed hypothesis [23] that sperm-egg interactions involve many sperm proteins which act co-operatively, but are not absolutely essential.…”