The bone morphogenetic protein 15 gene is X-linked and expressed in oocytes

• Published in: Molecular endocrinology (Baltimore, Md.) Vol. 12; no. 12; pp. 1809 - 1817
• Main Authors: Dube, J L, Wang, P, Elvin, J, Lyons, K M, Celeste, A J, Matzuk, M M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.12.1998
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Blotting, Northern; Bmp15 gene; bone morphogenetic protein 15; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins - chemistry; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins - genetics; Chromosome Mapping; Female; GDF-9 gene; Gene Expression; Genetic Linkage; growth/differentiation factor 9; Humans; In Situ Hybridization; Mice; Molecular Sequence Data; Oocytes - metabolism; Ovary - chemistry; Restriction Mapping; RNA, Messenger - analysis; X Chromosome
• ISSN: 0888-8809
• DOI: 10.1210/me.12.12.1809

We have taken advantage of the sequence relationships among the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) to identify the mouse Bmp15 and human BMP15 genes. The 392-amino acid prepropeptides encoded by these BMP genes exhibit significant homology to each other, although the 70% identity observed between the 125-amino acid mature peptides is considerably lower than that seen in comparisons of other mouse and human orthologs. Both genes share a common structural organization and encode mature peptides that lack the cysteine residue normally involved in the formation of a covalent dimer. In addition, mouse Bmp15 and human BMP15 map to conserved syntenic regions on the X chromosome. We demonstrate, through a combination of Northern blot and in situ hybridization analyses, that mouse Bmp15 is expressed specifically in the oocyte beginning at the one-layer primary follicle stage and continuing through ovulation. Interestingly, BMP-15 is most closely related to and shares a coincident expression pattern with the mouse growth/differentiation factor 9 (GDF-9) gene that is essential for female fertility. Our findings will be important for defining the role of BMP-15 in follicular development.