Meiotic silencing of sex chromosomes may cause their depletion of meiosis-specific genes during evolution. Here, we challenge this hypothesis by reporting the identification of TEX11 as the first X-encoded meiosis-specific factor in mice. TEX11 forms discrete foci on synapsed regions of meiotic chromosomes and appears to be a novel constituent of meiotic nodules involved in recombination. Loss of TEX11 function causes chromosomal asynapsis and reduced crossover formation, leading to elimination of spermatocytes, respectively, at the pachytene and anaphase I stages. Specifically, TEX11-deficient spermatocytes with asynapsed autosomes undergo apoptosis at the pachytene stage, while those with only asynapsed sex chromosomes progress. However, cells that survive the pachytene stage display chromosome nondisjunction at the first meiotic division, resulting in cell death and male infertility. TEX11 interacts with SYCP2, which is an integral component of the synaptonemal complex lateral elements. Thus, TEX11 promotes initiation and/or maintenance of synapsis and formation of crossovers, and may provide a physical link between these two meiotic processes.[Keywords: TEX11; male infertility; meiosis; synapsis; meiotic recombination; X chromosome] Supplemental material is available at http://www.genesdev.org.

During the first meiotic prophase, alignment and synapsis of the homologous chromosomes are mediated by the synaptonemal complex. Incorrect assembly of this complex results in cell death, impaired meiotic recombination and formation of aneuploid germ cells. We have identified a novel mouse meiosis-specific protein, TEX12, and shown it to be a component of the central element structure of the synaptonemal complex at synapsed homologous chromosomes. Only two other central element proteins, SYCE1 and SYCE2, have been identified to date and, using several mouse knockout models, we show that these proteins and TEX12 specifically depend on the synaptonemal transverse filament protein SYCP1 for localization to the meiotic chromosomes. Additionally, we show that TEX12 exactly co-localized with SYCE2, having the same, often punctate, localization pattern. SYCE1, on the other hand, co-localized with SYCP1 and these proteins displayed the same more continuous expression pattern. These co-localization studies were confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation experiments that showed that TEX12 specifically co-precipitated with SYCE2. Our results suggest a molecular network within the central elements, in which TEX12 and SYCE2 form a complex that interacts with SYCE1. SYCE1 interacts more directly with SYCP1 and could thus anchor the central element proteins to the transverse filaments.

The polypeptide DBI (diazepam-binding inhibitor) has been purified from the porcine upper intestine, where it is abundant. Porcine mature DBI is composed of 86 amino acid residues and has a blocked N-terminus. The primary structure, the first DBI structure determined at the protein level, differs from those indirectly deduced for human and rat DBI at 11 and 17 positions, respectively. In total, the three mammalian DBIs differ at 22 positions but have exactly identical C-terminal 1 1-residue segments, highly charged and ending with C-terminal isoleucine. The porcine DBI inhibits both the early and the late phase of glucose-induced insulin release from the isolated perfused rat pancreas. Thus, the results identify by direct analysis the presence of DBI at a non-cerebral localization (gut), establish a novel structural form (porcine) and demonstrate a novel bioactivity (on insulin release). These aspects are of special interest in relation to the conserved segments, including the one at the Cterminal end, which may constitute functionally important parts of the polypeptide. It is possible that DBI belongs to a new family of gut polypeptides which inhibit glucose-mediated insulin release by hormonal and/or neurocrine mechanisms.The polypeptide diazepam-binding inhibitor (DBI) was originally isolated from rat brain [l] and parts of its amino acid sequence were determined [I, 21. DBI is identical to or functionally related to the endogenous effector of the benzodiazepine recognition site, and it has therefore been given great attention in the neuropeptide research field. Cloning and expression of cDNA for human and rat DBI have been reported [3, 41, revealing different forms of DBI. None of the DBI forms has been completely analyzed directly at the peptide level.We have now isolated a polypeptide analogous to DBI from porcine intestine and have determined the amino acid sequence by peptide analyses. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that the porcine DBI decreased both the early and the late phases of glucose-induced insulin release from the isolated perfused rat pancreas.The primary structure and biological functions of DBI are greatly different from those of other known gastrointestinal polypeptides. DBI therefore represents a first member of a new polypeptide family which is broadly distributed in brain, gut and other tissues [3, 51. The present study demonstrates that it is found in high concentration in gut. MATERIALS AND METHODS Concentrate of thermostable intestinat po1ypeptide.sA concentrate was prepared essentially as described in detail [6]. Briefly, pieces of pig upper intestine were immersed for a few minutes into boiling water and then frozen. The material was minced while frozen and extracted with 0.5 M acetic acid at 0 -10°C. After filtration, the extracted peptides were adsorbed to alginic acid and eluted with 0.2 M HC1. In a modification of the earlier procedure, the pH of the eluate was brought to 3.5 k 0.1 before precipitation of the peptides by saturation with NaC1. The concentrate of thermostable...

We have isolated the murine homologue of the human Ki-67 antigen. The Ki-67 antigen is used as a marker to assess the proliferative capacity of tumour cells; however, its cellular function is not known. The murine Ki-67 cDNA sequence (TSG126) was found to contain 13 tandem repeats, making up more than half of the total protein size. A comparison of this repetitive sequence block to its human counterpart, which contains 16 consecutive repeat units, revealed several conserved sequence motifs, including one motif frequently observed in proteins interacting with DNA. An antiserum developed against the product of the TSG126 cDNA clone identified a protein with an apparent molecular mass of 360 kDa, mainly expressed in proliferating cells. The TSG126 protein begins to accumulate during the late G1 stage of the cell cycle and is first seen as numerous small granules evenly distributed throughout the nucleus. During the S and the G2 phases, larger foci that overlap with the nucleoli and the heterochromatic regions are formed. At the onset of mitosis the TSG126 protein undergoes a dramatic redistribution process and becomes associated with the surface of the condensed chromosomes. The relative absence of the TSG126 protein from G1 interphase cells strongly argues against a model where the association of the TSG126 protein with mitotic chromosomes merely reflects a mechanism for the symmetrical distribution of nucleolar proteins between daughter cells. Instead, the intracellular distribution of the TSG126 protein during the cell cycle suggests that it could have a chromatin-associated function in both interphase and mitotic cells. Microinjection of anti-TSG126 antibodies into proliferating Swiss-3T3 fibroblasts was found to delay cell cycle progression, indicating that the TSG126 protein has an essential nuclear function.

VOLUME ImllS u m l e m e n t F i q . I . Purification of the CNBr fragments.