2. Academic Validation
  3. Identification of a novel gene, DZIP (DAZ-interacting protein), that encodes a protein that interacts with DAZ (deleted in azoospermia) and is expressed in embryonic stem cells and germ cells

Identification of a novel gene, DZIP (DAZ-interacting protein), that encodes a protein that interacts with DAZ (deleted in azoospermia) and is expressed in embryonic stem cells and germ cells

  • Genomics. 2004 May;83(5):834-43. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2003.11.005.
Frederick L Moore 1,  Jadwiga Jaruzelska,  David M Dorfman,  Renee A Reijo-Pera
Affiliations

Affiliation

  • 1 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0546, USA.
PMID: 15081113 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2003.11.005
Abstract

Evidence from diverse organisms, including humans, suggests that the DAZ (Deleted in Azoospermia) gene and a closely related homolog, DAZL (DAZ-like), are required early in germ cell development to maintain initial germ cell populations. Here we report the identification and characterization of the DZIP (DAZ-Interacting Protein) gene, which encodes at least three different protein isoforms that contain a C2H2 zinc-finger domain. The DZIP gene is expressed predominantly in human embryonic stem cells and fetal and adult germ cells; moreover, two DZIP protein isoforms colocalize with DAZ and/or DAZL proteins in these tissues. Finally, we provide evidence indicating that DZIP may associate with DAZ and its other cofactors in an RNA-binding protein complex that functions in both ES cells and germ cells.

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