Characterization of a Novel Human Testis-Specific Gene: Testis Developmental Related Gene 1 (TDRG1)

Spermatogenesis is a highly coordinated physiological process that requires the correct expression and functions of thousands of developmentally regulated genes. The regulation of spermatogenesis is not well defined, since majority of the related genes have neither been identified nor fully characterized. Hence, it is meaningful to identify and characterize these genes to reveal the mechanism underlying spermatogenesis. In this study, using digital differential display, we identified a novel human testis-specific gene, testis developmental related gene 1 (TDRG1, GenBank DQ168992), via electronic subtraction of human testis UniGene databases from those of non-reproductive tissues. The transcript of the TDRG1 gene has an open-reading frame that encodes 100 amino acids. We next prepared the anti-TDRG1 monoclonal antibody 10B6 and confirmed that it specifically recognizes an 11-kDa protein in the tissue extracts from an adult human testicular sample (age 31 years) by Western blot analysis. RT-PCR coupled with immunohistochemistry of human tissues demonstrated that TDRG1 is exclusively expressed in the testis but not in any other non-reproductive tissues. TDRG1 is mainly located in spermatogenic cells in seminiferous tubules of adult testis. Furthermore, TDRG1 shows the highest expression level in human post-puberty testis, with the expression levels decreasing afterwards with aging. Importantly, TDRG1 mRNA is undetectable in the fetal testis, as judged by RT-PCR. In conclusion, TDRG1 is a developmentally regulated testicular-specific gene. We suggest that TDRG1, a newly identified testis-specific gene, may play important roles in human spermatogenesis.