Identification of Messenger RNA Substrates for Mouse T-STAR

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L. Y. Zhang, M. Zeng, P. Chen, H. Q. Sun, D. C. Tao, Y. Q. Liu, L. Lin, Y. Yang, S. Z. Zhang, and Y. X. Ma^*

Department of Medical Genetics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, P. R. China; E-mail: mayongxin@gmail.com

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received October 27, 2008; Revision received January 22, 2009

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Using the method of isolation of specific nucleic acids associated with proteins (SNAAP), we have identified 10 candidate target mRNA substrates bound by mT-STAR (mouse T-STAR protein) from testis extract. Among them, our study focused on Fabp9, a gene that is essential for male gametogenesis, and showed that mT-STAR could directly bind to Fabp9 mRNAs. The binding sites are in a short sequence of the coding region and 3′ untranslated region of Fabp9 mRNA. These suggest that mT-STAR can regulate the metabolism and expression of Fabp9. In conclusion, identification of mT-STAR-bound mRNA substrates might help to illustrate the potential spectrum of the process and provide valuable insight into the biological function of this RNA-binding protein in spermatogenesis.

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KEY WORDS: Fabp9, mRNA substrates, mT-STAR, SNAAP, spermatogenesis

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297909110145

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