Study On Knock-down The Expression Of Mouse Znf313 Gene By Small Interfering RNA And The Transcriptional Regulation Of Human ZNF313 Gene

Spermatogenesis of mammal is a complex cell differentiation process, which will undergo three phases: mitosis,meiosis and spermatogenesis. The process is regulated by numerous factors, but the regulation of gene level in spermatogenic cells play a key role during the spermatogenesis. In recent years, with the development and application of the technique of gene cloning, expressing and function studying, many spermatogenesis-related genes have been found. Further studies on these genes and their functions would help us to understand the molecular mechanism of spermatogenesis, as well as to clarify the genetic pathology of azoospermia.In recent years our team has devoted itself to the cloning and functional study of the genes related to male infertility. Most of the spermatogenesis-related genes which we have cloned are classified as zinc finger proteins, for instance ZNF230, ZNF463, and ZNF313. Human ZNF313 gene, which is isolated by mRNA differential display between the testes of fertile adults and azoospermic patients, is localized at 20q13 and encodes a 228aa-long zinc finger protein, which contains both ring finger and C₂H₂ domain. Differential splicing produces two transcripts of ZNF313 gene expressed in multiple tissues, while the shorter 750bp message is highly expressed in testis.