Relative expression and cloning of the PATE gene family in Mus musculus

Sperm maturation is an important yet incompletely understood process, with implications for both fertility treatment and birth control. Factors secreted into the lumen of the epididymal tract may play a significant role in this process, which makes the identification and characterization of these factors important. A recently discovered gene, PATE , along with several other PATE-like genes, is highly expressed in the prostate and testis, but mRNA for these genes has been detected in the epididymis, suggesting that some of these PATE-like genes are expressed more highly in the epididymis than the prostate and testis. I used real time RT-PCR to determine the expression patterns of the thirteen known PATE-like genes, showing that five such genes: Pate, Pate M, Pate A, Pate E, and Pate DJ, indeed support the hypothesis of predominant expression in the epididymis. I then inserted these genes into a vector for transfection of mammalian cell lines with the ultimate goal of protein production. Protein was not detected in the extracellular solution, but it was uncertain if this was due to failure of the transfection process, gene expression, or protein secretion. The implications of these results are discussed in the context of possible prote in function and future research.