Zinc Finger Protein, Y-Linked (ZFY)

Zinc Finger Protein, Y-Linked (ZFY)
ZFY encodes a zinc finger-containing protein that may function as a transcription factor. This gene was once a candidate gene for the testis-determining factor (TDF) and was erroneously referred to as TDF.
The encoded protein was thought to bind to nucleic acids in a sequence-specific manner and to regulate transcription. Models of sex determination must accommodate the finding of a related locus on the X chromosome. The presence of similar sequences in birds suggested a possible role not only in the XX/XY sex determination system of mammals, but also in the ZZ/ZW system of birds. Mapping studies by hybridization to DNA from somatic cell hybrids containing various fragments of the X chromosome suggested that the sequence on the X chromosome maps to region Xp22.3-p21.

Organism species: Homo sapiens (Human)