Ovo Like Protein 1 (OVOL1)

A critical role in Drosophila oogenesis and germline sex differentiation is played by ovo, a female germline-specific nuclear protein. Homozygous ovo mutants result in female germ cell degeneration and revertants of dominant ovo mutations can result in shaven baby (svb) and lozenge-like (lzl) phenotypes that affect cuticle (epidermal/locomotor) and eye (sensory) development, respectively, suggesting a tight structural link between ovo and svb. Human OVOL1, which contains an open reading frame with zinc finger domains, is similar to Drosophila ovo and is conserved in C. elegans as well. An EST database search suggested the presence of ovo-related sequences in both the mouse and the human genome. Comparative mapping data indicated that the mouse Ovol1 locus is located on MMU 19.