Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 10, 2026
Production of Xenopus tropicalis Egg Extracts to Identify Microtubule-associated RNAs
Published on: June 27, 2013
Identification and Characterization of Xlr5c as a Novel Nuclear Localization Protein in Mouse Germ Cells
Xin-Jie Zhuang1, Wen-hao Tang2, Chang-yu Liu1
1Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction, Ministry of Education, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, PR China.
Background:
Spermatogenesis is the complex process by which diploid stem cells generate haploid germ cells in gamete production. Members of the Xlr (X-chromosome linked, lymphocyte regulated) superfamily play essential roles in spermatogenesis. The expression, localization and role in spermatogenesis of one such member, Xlr5c, has not been reported previously.
Methodology/Principal Findings:
Xlr5c mRNA and protein levels in murine testes and other tissues were investigated using RT-PCR and Western blotting. Xlr5c was abundantly transcribed in mouse testes, particularly during the early stages of spermatogenesis and throughout prophase I in the nuclei of spermatocytes. Xlr5c was specifically localized at synaptonemal complexes(SCs) region in preleptotene and pachytene spermatocytes, as was the homologous Xlr protein Sycp3.
Conclusions/Significance:
These results suggest that Xlr5c was abundantly transcribed in germ cells, localized at SCs region, where it may play a potential role during the early stages of spermatogenesis. Identification and characterization of this novel testis protein may offer a new perspective for understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in germ cell differentiation.
