Testis Expressed Protein 14 (TEX14)

TEX14 is required for intercellular bridges in germ cells and that these bridges are essential for spermatogenesis and fertility. One of these genes, Tex14, encodes a predicted protein with 2 protein kinase domains. Tex14 shows testis-specific expression. Wang et al. (2001) identified an orthologous, full-length human TEX14 cDNA sequence.Adult Tex14-null females were normal and fertile, but adult males were sterile when bred to control females. In wildtype animals, Tex14 localized to germ cell intercellular bridges, which connect daughter cells through large cytoplasmic channels. Tex14-null males lacked intercellular bridges. Spermatogenesis in Tex14-null mice progressed through transit amplification of diploid spermatogonia and expression of early meiotic markers, but it halted before completion of the first meiotic division.