Type II and type IX collagen transcript isoforms are expressed during mouse testis development

Abstract

Mutations in the transcription factor SOX9 give rise to campomelic dysplasia, a syndrome characterized by skeletal abnormalities and XY sex reversal. Sox9 is expressed at sites of chondrogenesis and in the developing testis, and, thus, it plays a role in two overtly different pathways of differentiation. Previous studies have identified the gene for type II collagen, Col2a1, as a target of Sox9 in mouse chondrocytes and implicated Col9a3 as a Sox9 target in testis. Using differential expression analysis combined with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and whole-mount in situ hybridization, we have identified nonchondrocytic collagen transcript isoforms that are expressed in the ..