• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.749-756
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• 2007

Phosphorylation on serine/threonine or tyrosine residues of target proteins is an essential and significant regulatory mechanism in signal transduction during many cellular and life processes, including spermatogenesis, oogenesis and fertilization. In the present work, we reported the isolation and characterization of mouse testis-specific serine/threonine kinase 5 (Tssk5), which contains four alternatively spliced variants including, Tssk5$\alpha$, Tssk5$\beta$, Tssk5$\gamma$ and Tssk5$\delta$. Moreover, the locus of Tssk5 is on chromosome 14qC3 and the four variants had a similar high expression in the testis and the heart; however, had a low expression in other tissues, except for Tssk5$\alpha$ which also had comparably high expression in the spleen. Each variant of Tssk5 expression began in the testis 16 days after birth. Aside from TSSK5$\alpha$, the other isoforms have an insertion of ten amino acid residues (RLTPSLSAAG) in region VIb (HRD domain) (His-Arg-Asp). Moreover, only TSSK5$\alpha$ exhibited kinase activity and consistently, a further Luciferase Reporter Assay demonstrated that TSSK5$\beta$, TSSK5$\gamma$ and TSSK5$\delta$ cannot be stimulated at the CREB/CRE responsive pathway in comparison to TSSK5$\alpha$. These findings suggest that TSSK5$\beta$, TSSK5$\gamma$, TSSK5$\delta$ may be pseudokinases due to the insertion, which may damage the structure responsible for active kinase activity. Pull-down assay experiments indicated that TSSK5$\beta$, TSSK5 $\gamma$ and TSSK5$\delta$ can directly interact with TSSK5$\alpha$. In summary, these four isoforms with similar expression patterns may be involved in spermatogenesis through a coordinative way in testis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.300-304
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• 2008

The Dazl gene encodes a germ-cell-specific RNA-binding protein which is essential for spermatogenesis. It has been proposed that this protein (DAZL) binds to RNA in the cytoplasm of germ cells and controls spermatogenesis. Using the specific nucleic acids associated with proteins (SNAAP) technique, we identified 17 target mRNAs bound by mDAZL. Among these transcripts, we focused on TSSK2, which encodes a testis-specific serine/threonine kinase. To date, five TSSK family members have been cloned, and all are exclusively expressed in the testis. We demonstrated that in addition to the TSSK1 3'UTR, the 3'UTRs of TSSKs 2 and 4 were bound by human and mouse DAZL, and that human DAZL (hDAZL) bound to the 3'UTR of human TSSK5 (hTSSK5). Our results suggest that the Dazl gene may play different roles in human and mouse spermatogenesis by regulating different members of the downstream gene family.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.16 no.2 s.31
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• pp.105-113
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• 1977

In this paper have been examained the relation of tssk performance to body size. the variation of venation of males, sex ratio, breeding by forms of worker's pupae and structure by forms of workers's colony to nest size in polymorphism of polydomous red wood ant, Formica rufa truncicola var. yessoensis Forel in Korea. 1. The workers are classified into three forms, in which small form mainly performs itself the task of nursing in the nest and the visit to aphid from the outside of the nest, medium and large form mainly do not only the stinct of prey carrying from the outside of the nest and nest structure, but the task of protecting colony of outside. But the small forms visiting to aphid is not always fixed but seems to be changed with season. 2. The variation forms of venation of males are fourteen, generally, they have various variations of the discoidal. 3. Generally, sex ratio of Formica rufa truncicola var. yessoensis Forel is the same proportion, but it seems that there are some difference according to its characteristic of colony in each nest and polydomous colony structure in its habitat. 4. In summer season the medium form makes a colony in high proportion without any relations with the size of nest but. during hibernation, small form coasists in small nest, medium in medium nest and large in large nest. And so the structure of worker's colony by forms according to their nest size seems to be changed with season.