Cell
Volume 73, Issue 5, 4 June 1993, Pages 1019-1030
Journal home page for Cell

Article
Circular transcripts of the testis-determining gene Sry in adult mouse testis

https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-8674(93)90279-YGet rights and content

Abstract

Sry is expressed at higher levels in the adult testis, where no function has been determined, than in the genital ridge, its critical site of action. cDNA and 5′ RACE clones isolated from testis or from Sry-transfected cell lines have an unusual structure, with 3′ sequences located in a 5′ position. RNAase protection assays and reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions confirmed that these unusual RNA molecules represent the most abundant transcript in testis. Furthermore, oligonucleotide hybridization and RNAase H digestion proved that these Sry RNA molecules are circular. Similar transcripts were detected in the testes of mice with Mus musculus musculus, Mus musculus domesticus, and Mus spretus Sry genes. The circular RNA is found in the cytoplasm but is not substantially bound to polysomes. We suggest that the circles arise from normal splicing processes as a consequence of the unusual genomic structure surrounding the Sry locus in the mouse.

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    Present address: Centre for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.

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