Rapidly evolving marmoset MSMB genes are differently expressed in the male genital tract
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BioMed Central
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Rapidly evolving marmoset MSMB genes are differently expressed in the male genital tract Åke Lundwall*1, Olivia Larne1, Penelope L Nayudu2, Yvonne Ceder1 and Camilla Valtonen-André1 Address: 1Lund University, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital MAS, SE-205 02 Malmö, Sweden and 2German Primate Center, Department of Reproductive Biology, Göttingen D-37077, Germany Email: Åke Lundwall* - [email protected]; Olivia Larne - [email protected]; Penelope L Nayudu - [email protected]; Yvonne Ceder - [email protected]; Camilla Valtonen-André - [email protected] * Corresponding author
Published: 9 September 2009 Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 2009, 7:96
doi:10.1186/1477-7827-7-96
Received: 4 July 2009 Accepted: 9 September 2009
This article is available from: http://www.rbej.com/content/7/1/96 © 2009 Lundwall et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract Background: Beta-microseminoprotein, an abundant component in prostatic fluid, is encoded by the potential tumor suppressor gene MSMB. Some New World monkeys carry several copies of this gene, in contrast to most mammals, including humans, which have one only. Here we have investigated the background for the species difference by analyzing the chromosomal organization and expression of MSMB in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). Methods: Genes were identified in the Callithrix jacchus genome database using bioinformatics and transcripts were analyzed by RT-PCR and quantified by real time PCR in the presence of SYBR green. Results: The common marmoset has five MSMB: one processed pseudogene and four functional genes. The latter encompass homologous genomic regions of 32-35 kb, containing the genes of 1214 kb and conserved upstream and downstream regions of 14-19 kb and 3-4 kb. One gene, MSMB1, occupies the same position on the chromosome as the single human gene. On the same chromosome, but several Mb away, is another MSMB locus situated with MSMB2, MSMB3 and MSMB4 arranged in tandem. Measurements of transcripts demonstrated that all functional genes are expressed in the male genital tract, generating very high transcript levels in the prostate. The transcript levels in seminal vesicles and testis are two and four orders of magnitude lower. A single gene, MSMB3, accounts for more than 90% of MSMB transcripts in both the prostate and the seminal vesicles, whereas in the testis around half of the transcripts originate from MSMB2. These genes display rapid evolution with a skewed distribution of mutated nucleotides; in MSMB2 they affect nucleotides encoding the N-terminal Greek key domain, whereas in MSMB3 it is the Cterminal MSMB-unique domain that is affected. Conclusion
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