Identification of ZFR, an ancient and highly conserved murine chromosome-associated zinc finger protein
Date
1999-03-04Author
Holdcraft, Robert W.
Braun, Robert E.
Lee, Keesook
Disteche, Christine
Edelhoff, Susanne
Meagher, Madeleine J.
Schumacher, Jill M.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In a screen for RNA binding proteins expressed during murine
spermatogenesis, we cloned a novel, ancient zinc finger protein possessing
a region common to a small class of RNA binding proteins. Zfr (zinc finger
RNA binding) encodes a protein of 1052 amino acids with three widely
spaced Cys2His2 zinc fingers. Outside of the zinc fingers, ZFR shares a
region that is highly conserved between several RNA binding proteins
containing copies of the double-stranded RNA binding motif. By northern
blotting, Zfr is expressed at highest levels within the testis, ovary and
brain. Immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy were used to show that
ZFR is highly expressed during meiosis I in males and females and is
chromosome associated. Zfr is also expressed in Sertoli cells in the
testis and granulosa cells in the ovary where it is localized to the
nucleus. Using fluorescent in situ hybridization we mapped Zfr to
chromosome 15 region A. ZFR appears to be an ancient protein, as apparent
homologs exist in invertebrates (D. melanogaster) nematodes (C. elegans)
and humans (H. sapiens).