SPX1, A NOVEL X-LINKED HOMEOBOX GENE EXPRESSED DURING SPERMATOGENESIS

Spx1, a novel mouse homeobox gene, encodes a homeodomain characteristi c of the paired-like class of homeobox genes and has been mapped to th e distal end of the X chromosome. Northern blot hybridization of adult tissues detected high levels of a single Spx1 transcript in the testi s. Further analysis by in situ hybridization revealed predominant Spx1 expression within the spermatogonia/preleptotene spermatocytes and ro und spermatids of spermatogenic stages IV-VII. These expression data s uggest SPX1 may play a role in the regulation of spermatogenesis. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.