The mouse Y chromosome interval necessary for spermatogonial proliferation is gene dense with syntenic homology to the human AZFa region

Abstract

The ΔSxrb deletion interval of the mouse Y chromosome contains Spy, a spermatogenesis factor gene(s) whose expression is essential for the postnatal development of the mitotic germ cells, spermatogonia. The boundaries of ΔSxrb are defined by the duplicated genes Zfy1 and Zfy2 and four further genes have previously been mapped within the interval: Ube1y and Smcy, linked with Zfy1 on a contig of 250 kb, and Dffry and Uty, which were unanchored. The interval was estimated to be > 450 kb. In order to identify any further gene(s) that may underlie Spy, systematic exon trapping was performed on an extended contig, anchored on Zfy1, which covers 750 kb of the ΔSxrb interval. Exons from two novel ge..