Characterization of testis specific serine/threonine kinase
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Chiu, Yi-Chieh
Abstract
SSK (testis specific serine/threonine kinase) family is a novel serine/threonine kinase family. The members of this family are specifically expressed in testis. Based on previous reports, TSSK1、TSSK2、and SSTK may be involved in spermatogenesis. However, the significance of TSSK3 is unclear. Using NCBI BLAST survey, we found a protein in zebrafish, namely zTSSK, which has 44% identity to TSSK3. Since zebrafish is a good animal model for studying protein function, it is helpful to use the model to elucidate the biological function of TSSK3 in mice. We demonstrate the expression of zTSSK in the tissues of brain, kidney, liver, and testis. Using whole-mount in situ hybridization technique, zTSSK has been found mainly in the midbrain and hindbrain of zebrafish at the stages of 24hpf、48hpf、and 72hpf, but decline at 72hpf stage. Knockdown of zTSSK gene by morpholino caused the death of fish embryo brfore 24hpf stage. It suggests that zTSSK play an important role during embryo development. We also found the expression of TSSK3 in mouse cerebrum and cerebellum by quantitative real-time PCR. During mouse embryonic development, TSSK3 expression begins at E14.5, reaching a maximum level before birth and remains at a constant level postnatally, but decreases in mature mice. The expression of zTSSK and TSSK3 in brain during early embryonic development suggests that both proteins play a physiological role in brain development. However, their biological roles in mice remain to be elucidated.
Subjects
testis
kinase
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