spermatogenesis-associated protein 9 (testis development protein NYD- SP16) (SPATA9)

Function

• may play a role in testicular development/spermatogenesis
• may be an important factor in male infertility

Compartment

membrane

Alternative splicing

named isoforms=3

Expression

• highly expressed in testes & pancreas
• low levels found in the heart, lungs, & brain
• very low expression detected in placenta
• no expression seen in skeletal muscles, liver, kidneys, thymus, small intestines, colons, spleen, leukocytes, prostate gland, & ovaries
• in adult testes, expression was about 6.44-fold higher than in embryo testes

Pathology

• no expression in testes of patients with Sertoli-cell-only syndrome
• in patients with arrest at spermatogonium & primary spermatocyte stages, no expression was detected
• in patients with arrest at the spermatid stage, expression is weak or absent
• variable expression in patients with spermatogenic arrest

More general terms

• membrane protein

Database

• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q9BWV2.html