Translocation of the Zinc Finger Protein Basonuclin from the Mouse Germ Cell Nucleus to the Midpiece of the Spermatozoon during Spermiogenesis¹

^d Department of Dermatology and ^e Center for Research on Reproduction and Women's Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

Basonuclin was first described as a human keratinocyte zinc finger protein present in the nuclei of proliferative basal keratinocytes in the epidermis. It disappears from keratinocytes that have lost their proliferative ability and have entered terminal differentiation. We now report that basonuclin is present also in the germ cells of the mouse testis and ovary. Immunocytochemical staining detected basonuclin in the nuclei of spermatogonia and spermatocytes at various developmental stages. During spermiogenesis, it relocated from the nucleus to the midpiece of the flagellum of the spermatozoa. In the ovary, basonuclin was found mainly in the nuclei of developing oocytes. The dual presence of basonuclin in differentiated spermatozoa and oocytes suggests that it may play a role in their differentiation and the early development of an embryo.

¹ This work was supported by grants from University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation, University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, NIH (AG14456) (HD33052) and USDA (95-37203-1982). M.G.M. is a recipient of a Dermatology Foundation Research Fellowship. H.T. is a recipient of a Dermatology Foundation Career Development Award. GenBank accession number: AF025301.

² Correspondence: Hung Tseng, Stellar-Chance Laboratories, M8c, 422 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104. FAX: (215) 573-9102; htsengpe{at}mail.med.upenn.edu

³ Current address: Pharmacology WP46-300, Merck & Co., Inc., P.O. Box 4, West Point, PA 19486-0004.

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