Molecular structure of Tcp-10 genes from the t complex responder locus

Analysis of Ser/Thr Kinase HASPIN-Interacting Proteins in the Spermatids

HASPIN is predominantly expressed in spermatids, and plays an important role in cell division in somatic and meiotic cells through histone H3 phosphorylation. The literature published to date has suggested that HASPIN may play multiple roles in cells. Here, 10 gene products from the mouse testis cDNA library that interact with HASPIN were isolated using the two-hybrid system. Among them, CENPJ/CPAP, KPNA6/importin alpha 6, and C1QBP/HABP1 were analyzed in detail for their interactions with HASPIN, with HASPIN phosphorylated C1QBP as the substrate. The results indicated that HASPIN is involved in spermatogenesis through the phosphorylation of C1QBP in spermatids, and also may be involved in the formation of centrosomes.

Effects of a male meiotic driver on male and female transcriptomes in the house mouse

Not all genetic loci follow Mendel's rules, and the evolutionary consequences of this are not yet fully known. Genomic conflict involving multiple loci is a likely outcome, as restoration of Mendelian inheritance patterns will be selected for, and sexual conflict may also arise when sexes are differentially affected. Here, we investigate effects of the t haplotype, an autosomal male meiotic driver in house mice, on genome-wide gene expression patterns in males and females. We analysed gonads, liver and brain in adult same-sex sibling pairs differing in genotype, allowing us to identify t-associated differences in gene regulation. In testes, only 40% of differentially expressed genes mapped to the approximately 708 annotated genes comprising the t haplotype. Thus, much of the activity of the t haplotype occurs in trans, and as upregulation. Sperm maturation functions were enriched among both cis and trans acting t haplotype genes. Within the t haplotype, we observed more downregulation and differential exon usage. In ovaries, liver and brain, the majority of expression differences mapped to the t haplotype, and were largely independent of the differences seen in the testis. Overall, we found widespread transcriptional effects of this male meiotic driver in the house mouse genome.

Function of untranslated regions in the mouse spermatogenesis-specific gene Tcp10 evaluated in transgenic mice

The mouse Tcp10 genes are transcribed exclusively in male germ cells and display multiple 5' and 3' untranslated variations generated by alternative splicing and polyadenylation signal usage. To investigate the possible role of untranslated sequences in the regulation of these genes, chimeric expression constructs with or without endogenous 5' and 3' untranslated sequences were generated and used to make transgenic mice. Analysis of these animals showed that the untranslated sequences have no effect on the transcription or translation of an attached lacZ reporter gene, thereby implying these sequences are dispensible. However, the endogenous pattern of polyadenylation site usage was altered when Tcp10 3' untranslated sequences were linked to lacZ, indicating that internal coding sequence can influence recognition of polyadenylation signals in testis. The characteristics of alternative splicing and polyadenylation signal variability reflects a common theme of promiscuity in testicular gene expression.

An additional type of male sterility and inherited urinary obstruction in mice with the t-haplotype th7

The t-complex on mouse chromosome 17 results in transmission ratio distortion in males heterozygous for complete haplotypes, and sterility in those homozygous for semi-lethal or doubly heterozygous for complementing lethal haplotypes. This sterility is due to inability of spermatozoa to fertilize. The haplotype th7 is an unusual laboratory-derived haplotype, postulated to carry a small duplication of t chromatin. Males heterozygous for th7 show a new form of sterility, apparently due to failure to form copulation plugs during mating. This is accompanied by a strong propensity to acute urinary obstruction. It is suggested that both the failure to form copulation plugs and the urinary obstruction are due to some abnormality in function of the accessory sex glands, and are the result of incorrect dosage of a gene in the postulated duplication. The symbol Msu for male sterility and urinary obstruction is suggested for the locus concerned. Previously a recessive form of abnormal behaviour had also been attributed to this duplication.

Promoter mapping of the mouse Tcp-10bt gene in transgenic mice identifies essential male germ cell regulatory sequences

Transgenic mice were generated to localize essential promoter elements in the mouse testis-expressed Tcp-10 genes. These genes are expressed exclusively in male germ cells, and exhibit a diffuse range of transcriptional start sites, possibly due to the absence of a TATA box. A series of transgene constructs containing different amounts of 5' flanking DNA revealed that all sequences necessary for appropriate temporal and tissue-specific transcription of Tcp-10 reside between positions -1 to -973. All transgenic animals containing these sequences expressed a chimeric transgene at high levels, in a pattern that paralleled the endogenous genes. These experiments further defined a 227 bp fragment from -746 to -973 that was absolutely essential for expression. In a gel-shift assay, this 227-bp fragment bound nuclear protein from testis, but not other tissues, to yield two retarded bands. Sequence analysis of this fragment revealed a half-site for the AP-2 transcription factor recognition sequence. Gel shift assays using native or mutant oligonucleotides demonstrated that the putative AP-2 recognition sequence was essential for generating the retarded bands. Since the binding activity is testis-specific, but AP-2 expression is not exclusive to male germ cells, it is possible that transcription of Tcp-10 requires interaction between AP-2 and a germ cell-specific transcription factor.

Recent evolution of mouse t haplotypes at polymorphic microsatellites associated with the t complex responder (Tcr) locus

Microsatellites closely associated with each member of the Tcp10 gene family were amplified simultaneously from t haplotype and wild-type forms of mouse chromosome 17, by PCR. The t complex responder (Tcr) locus, which plays a central role in transmission ratio distortion, maps within the Tcp10 cluster on the t haplotype. Thus the amplified set of microsatellite loci (referred to collectively as Tcp10ms) provides a direct marker for this central component of the meiotic drive system associated with all naturally occurring t haplotypes. A unique Tcp10ms pattern of microsatellite alleles was obtained for a number of independent, laboratory-maintained complete and partial t haplotypes. Independent t chromosomes found in wild mice from US populations also had unique patterns, even when they were classified within the same lethal complementation group. Wild and laboratory chromosomes in the tw5 group showed similarly-sized but non-identical Tcp10ms patterns, suggesting they share a recent common ancestor. These chromosomes are likely to have derived from an ancestral chromosome within the founding population of North American house mice. The Tcp10ms pattern was also shown to be useful in field studies for distinguishing among independent t haplotypes, when more than one is present within a single population.

The mouse t-complex gene, Tcp-11, is under translational control

The mouse t-complex is known to harbour genes which affect male fertility. Tcp-11 is a t-complex gene which is only expressed in male germ cells and from its position is a candidate for a distorter, one of the two types of genetic element involved in transmission ratio distortion. Antibodies raised to TCP-11 protein made in E. Coli were used on thin sections of testis and shown to recognise late spermatids. On Western blots the antibodies bound to a 68-kD protein present in protein extracts from testis. No specific signal could be detected using the antibody on protein extracts from other mouse tissues. Following gentle lysis of the germ cells and fractionation on sucrose gradients, all the material recognised by the anti-Tcp-11 antibody was found to be soluble and unassociated with any membrane fraction or organelle. A comparison of the time course of expression of the Tcp-11 mRNA and the TCP-11 protein revealed that expression of this gene is under translational control.

A model for the mechanism of transmission ratio distortion and for t-associated hybrid sterility

A mechanistic model is presented to account for the action of t-complex of mice. This model takes account of recent evidence suggesting that t-complex distorters are amorphs or hypomorphs. Following Lyon's (Genet. Res. 59, 27 (1992) scheme, the model proposes that the t-complex distorter (tcd+) loci for normal function than does the wild-type form of tcr. However, a tradeoff against this ability to drive is a reduced efficiency of the haploid specific product of tcrt in the absence of drive. Regulation of tcr could be achieved by differential splicing or post-translational modification under the control of the t-complex distorters. It is shown that the model is consistent with known fertility and distortion data, as well as with the finding that the mechanism of drive is intimately connected with the mechanism of intraspecific homozygous sterility. Importantly, the model predicts that the mechanism of hybrid sterility associated with the t-complex is the same as the mechanism of intraspecific homozygous sterility. If accepted then this will be, to the best of the author's knowledge, the first description and characterization of a Haldane rule sterility gene. The new understanding of the mechanisms of t-complex shows its mode of operation to be fundamentally different to the only other well-described autosomal meiotic driver, Segregation Distorter (SD) of Drosophila melanogaster.

Functional and molecular characterization of the transcriptional regulatory region of Tcp-10bt, a testes-expressed gene from the t complex responder locus

Mouse t haplotypes contain several mutant alleles that disrupt spermatogenesis. Their phenotypes include sterility, reduced fertility and transmission ratio distortion (TRD). The substantial genetic analyses of these mutant alleles, coupled with intensive physical characterization of the t complex, provides a fertile ground for identifying and understanding genes essential to male gametogenesis. The t complex responder (Tcr) locus plays a central role in this process, interacting with other t haplotype-encoded genes to mediate TRD. A candidate responder gene, Tcp-10bt, has been cloned and subjected to molecular characterization. Here, we define the transcriptional regulatory regions of this gene in transgenic mice. A 1.6 kb (but not 0.6 kb) DNA fragment upstream of the transcription start site contains all the regulatory signals for appropriate temporal and germ cell-specific expression of this gene. Two smaller fragments within this region bound specifically to nuclear factor(s) from germ cell protein extracts in gel shift assays. This work is a step towards understanding the mechanism of Tcp-10bt regulated expression and may ultimately help reveal a common regulatory pathway shared by other similarly expressed spermatogenic genes.

Distortion of transmission ratio by a candidate t complex responder locus transgene

The mouse t complex responder locus (Tcr) is centrally involved in the phenomenon of male-specific transmission ratio distortion (TRD) through its action in haploid germ cells. Previously, we identified a candidate gene, Tcp-10b, whose t allele generates alternatively spliced transcripts. The full-length Tcp-10bt transcript is present in pre- and postmeiotic germ cells and encodes a product that is virtually identical with that encoded by the wild-type allele. The alternatively spliced t-specific transcript is observed in post-meiotic haploid spermatids and would encode an altered polypeptide that could convey the Tcrt phenotype. To assess their function, we have introduced constructs representing each Tcp-10bt transcript into transgenic mice. Breeding experiments demonstrate that these two constructs alter the transmission ratios of t haplotypes from male mice, but in opposite directions. The results provide support for the hypothesis that Tcp-10bt is a component of the Tcr locus.

Concerted evolution of the mouse Tcp-10 gene family: implications for the functional basis of t haplotype transmission ratio distortion

The mouse Tcr locus is defined by its central role in the transmission ratio distortion phenotype characteristic of t haplotypes. A molecular candidate for Tcr has been identified in the form of a gene--Tcp-10b--expressed during spermatogenesis. Tcp-10b is one member of a multigene family present in two to four copies on different homologs of chromosome 17. The coding regions of the Tcp-10 genes present within two inbred strains were compared with those of the tw5 haplotype. The various gene family members are highly conserved relative to each other with a minimum nucleotide identity of 98.6% in all pairwise comparisons. Maximal parsimony analysis indicates that the Tcp-10 gene family has evolved in a concerted manner with the obliteration of nearly all individual gene-specific characteristics. As a consequence, the candidate for the full-length mutant Tcr gene product is distinguished by only a single, highly conservative, amino acid change. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that the effector of mutant Tcr activity is a second, alternatively spliced product that is expressed in a haploid- and allele-specific manner.