HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 71/6/1785    most recent biolreprod.104.030452v1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Takano, N. Articles by Takahashi, T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Takano, N. Articles by Takahashi, T. Agricola Articles by Takano, N. Articles by Takahashi, T.

Granzyme N, a Novel Granzyme, Is Expressed in Spermatocytes and Spermatids of the Mouse Testis¹

Division of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810 Japan

We cloned a cDNA for a novel granzyme, granzyme N (Gzmn), from a mouse testes cDNA library. The testes contained two distinct species of Gzmn mRNA, one of which codes for a complete protein of 248 amino acids with three essential residues required for catalytic activity. The Gzmn mRNA was specifically expressed in the testes of adult mice. The Gzmn expression was found to initiate in the testes at 3 wk of age and to become more prominent as the animal reached sexual maturity. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that both spermatocytes and spermatids of the adult mouse testes express Gzmn mRNA. Consistent with these findings, the protein was immunohistochemically detected in the spermatocytes and spermatids, although some of the germ cells showed no positive staining. Gzmn was demonstrated to be a secretory and N-glycosylated protein that exists in two protein forms in the testes extract. In the cryptorchid testes, the expression of Gzmn transcript was drastically reduced on Postoperative Day 10, whereas the protein level was gradually decreased starting on Day 6. The local heating (43°C, 20 min) of the testes did not change the Gzmn expression level at either 8 or 16 h after treatment. These results suggest that Gzmn is not involved in the process of germ cell apoptosis induced by heat shock, but that it may be involved in spermatogenesis in the mouse testes.

¹ This work was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology of Japan (14204079) to T.T., and N.T. was supported by the 21st COE program.

² Correspondence: Takayuki Takahashi, Division of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan. FAX: 81 11 706 4851; ttakaha{at}sci.hokudai.ac.jp

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Kaiserman, C. H. Bird, J. Sun, A. Matthews, K. Ung, J. C. Whisstock, P. E. Thompson, J. A. Trapani, and P. I. Bird The major human and mouse granzymes are structurally and functionally divergent J. Cell Biol., November 20, 2006; 175(4): 619 - 630. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]