Tektin 2, Testicular (TEKT2)

TEKT2 belongs to the tektin family of proteins. This gene is expressed in the testis and its protein is localized to the flagella of the sperms, indicating that it may play a role in spermatogenesis. Human and mouse TEKT2 share 83% amino acid identity. Northern blot analysis detected a 1.7-kb transcript expressed strongly in testis and weakly in ovary. In sperm, a major protein of 56 kD, a minor protein of 46 kD, and a weakly expressed protein of 54 kD were detected. The 56- and 54-kD proteins bound concanavalin A, indicating that they were N-glycosylated, but the 46-kD protein did not. TEKT2 expressed in a discontinuous punctate pattern in the flagellum and in the postacrosomal head region, with 2 positive spots in the tangential view. A somewhat different staining pattern was found in mouse sperm.