Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Homology of a candidate spermatogenic gene from the mouse Y chromosome to the ubiquitin-activating enzyme El

Abstract

THE Sxr (sex-reversed) region, a fragment of the Y chromosome short arm, can cause chromosomally female XXSxr or XSxrO mice to develop as sterile males1–3. The original Sxr region, termed Sxra, encodes: Tdy, the primary sex-determining gene; Hya, the controlling or structural locus for the minor transplantation antigen H–Y (ref. 4); gene(s) controlling the expression of the serologically detected male antigen (SDMA)5; Spy, a gene(s) required for the survival and proliferation of A spermatogonia during spermatogenesis6,7; Zfy-l/Zfy-2, zinc-finger-containing genes of unknown function8; and Sry, which is probably identical to Tdy (ref. 9). A deletion variant10 of Sxra, termed Sxrb, which lacks Hya, SDMA expression, Spy and some Zfy-2 sequences, makes positional cloning of these genes possible. We report here the isolation of a new testis-specific gene, Sby, mapping to the DNA deleted from the Sxrb region (the ΔSxrb interval). Sby has extensive homology to the X-linked human ubiquitin-activating enzyme El (ref. 11). The critical role of this enzyme in nuclear DNA replication12 together with the testis-specific expression of Sby suggests Sby as a candidate for the spermatogenic gene Spy.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Cattanach, B. M., Pollard, C. E. & Hawkes, S. G. Cytogenetics 10, 318–337 (1971).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Roberts, C. et al. Proc. natn. Acad Sci. U.S.A. 85, 6446–6449 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. McLaren, A. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 6442–6445 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Simpson, E., McLaren, A., Chandler, P. & Tomonari, K. Transplantation 37, 17–21 (1984).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Goldberg, E. H., McLaren, A. & Reilly, B. J. Reprod. Immun. (in the press).

  6. Burgoyne, P. S., Levy, E. R. & McLaren, A. Nature 320, 170–172 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Sutcliffe, M. J. & Burgoyne, P. S. Development 107, 373–380 (1989).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Mardon, G. et al. Science 243, 78–80 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Gubbay, J. Nature 346, 245–250 (1990).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. McLaren, A., Simpson, E., Tomonari, K., Chandler, P. & Hogg, H. Nature 312, 552–555 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Handley, P. M., Muekler, M., Siegel, N. R., Ciechanover, A. & Schwartz, A. L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 258–262 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Mayer, A., Gropper, R., Schwartz, A. L. & Ciechanover, A. J. biol. Chem. 264, 2060–2068 (1989).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Mitchell, M. J. & Bishop, C. E. Genomics (in the press).

  14. Bishop, C. E. et al. Development 101S, 167–175 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Zacksenhaus, E. & Sheinin, R. EMBO J. 9, 2923–2929 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Hatfield, P. M., Callis, J. & Vierstra, R. D. J. biol. Chem. 265, 15813–15817 (1990).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. McGrath, J. P., Jentsch, S. & Varshavsky, A. EMBO J. 10, 227–236 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  18. Zacksenhaus, E., Sheinin, R. & Wang, H. S. Cytogenet. Cell Genet. 53, 20–22 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Simpson, E. M. & Page, D. C. Genomics 11, 601–608 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Tucker, P. K., Phillips, K. S. & Lundrigan, B. Mammalian Genome (in the press).

  21. Sanger, F., Nicklen, S. & Coulson, A. R. Proc. natn. Acad Sci. U.S.A. 74, 5463–5467 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Devereux, J., Haeberli, P. & Smithies, O. Nucleic Acids Res. 12, 387–395 (1984).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Frohman, M. A., Dush, M. K. & Martin, G. R. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 85, 8998–9002 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Frohman, M. A. in PCR Protocols (eds Innis, M. A., Gelfand, D. H., Sninsky, J. J. & White, T. J.) (Academic, San Diego, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Chomczynski, P. & Sacchi, N. Analyt. Biochem. 162, 156–159 (1987).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Avner, P. R. et al. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 5330–5334 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Amar, L. C. et al. Genomics 2, 220–230 (1988).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Mitchell, M. J. et al. Genetics 121, 803–809 (1989).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Church, G. & Gilbert, W. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 1991–1995 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Feinberg, A. P. & Vogelstein, B. Analyt. Biochem. 132, 6–13 (1983).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Zabel, B. U., Naylor, S. L., Sakaguchi, A. Y., Bell, G. I. & Shows, T. B. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 6932–6936 (1983).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Harper, M. E. & Saunders, G. F., Chromosoma 83, 431–439 (1981).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Handley, P. M., Muekler, M., Siegel, N. R., Ciechanover, A. & Schwartz, A. L. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88, 7456 (1991).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mitchell, M., Woods, D., Tucker, P. et al. Homology of a candidate spermatogenic gene from the mouse Y chromosome to the ubiquitin-activating enzyme El. Nature 354, 483–486 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/354483a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/354483a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing