DDX3Y explained

ATP-dependent RNA helicase DDX3Y is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the DDX3Y gene.^{[1] [2]}

DEAD box proteins, characterized by the conserved motif Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp (DEAD), are putative RNA helicases. They are implicated in a number of cellular processes involving alteration of RNA secondary structure such as translation initiation, nuclear and mitochondrial splicing, and ribosome and spliceosome assembly. Based on their distribution patterns, some members of this family are believed to be involved in embryogenesis, spermatogenesis, and cellular growth and division. This gene encodes a DEAD box protein, and it has a homolog on the X chromosome (DDX3X). The gene mutation causes male infertility, Sertoli cell-only syndrome or severe hypospermatogenesis, suggesting that this gene plays a key role in the spermatogenic process. Alternative splicing of this gene generates 2 transcripts, which differ only in the length of the 3' UTR.

Further reading

• Foresta C, Ferlin A, Moro E . Deletion and expression analysis of AZFa genes on the human Y chromosome revealed a major role for DBY in male infertility . Hum. Mol. Genet. . 9 . 8 . 1161–9 . 2000 . 10767340 . 10.1093/hmg/9.8.1161 .
• Shen P, Wang F, Underhill PA . Population genetic implications from sequence variation in four Y chromosome genes . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 97 . 13 . 7354–9 . 2000 . 10861003 . 10.1073/pnas.97.13.7354 . 16549 . 2000PNAS...97.7354S . etal. free .
• Session DR, Lee GS, Wolgemuth DJ . Characterization of D1Pas1, a mouse autosomal homologue of the human AZFa region DBY, as a nuclear protein in spermatogenic cells . Fertil. Steril. . 76 . 4 . 804–11 . 2001 . 11591417 . 10.1016/S0015-0282(01)01996-3 . free .
• Kim YS, Lee SG, Park SH, Song K . Gene structure of the human DDX3 and chromosome mapping of its related sequences . Mol. Cells . 12 . 2 . 209–14 . 2002 . 10.1016/S1016-8478(23)17085-3 . 11710523 . free .
• Vogt MH, van den Muijsenberg JW, Goulmy E . The DBY gene codes for an HLA-DQ5-restricted human male-specific minor histocompatibility antigen involved in graft-versus-host disease . Blood . 99 . 8 . 3027–32 . 2002 . 11929796 . 10.1182/blood.V99.8.3027 . etal. free .
• Strausberg RL, Feingold EA, Grouse LH . Generation and initial analysis of more than 15,000 full-length human and mouse cDNA sequences . Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. . 99 . 26 . 16899–903 . 2003 . 12477932 . 10.1073/pnas.242603899 . 139241 . 2002PNAS...9916899M . etal. free .
• Skaletsky H, Kuroda-Kawaguchi T, Minx PJ . The male-specific region of the human Y chromosome is a mosaic of discrete sequence classes . Nature . 423 . 6942 . 825–37 . 2003 . 12815422 . 10.1038/nature01722 . 2003Natur.423..825S . etal. free .
• Zorn E, Miklos DB, Floyd BH . Minor histocompatibility antigen DBY elicits a coordinated B and T cell response after allogeneic stem cell transplantation . J. Exp. Med. . 199 . 8 . 1133–42 . 2004 . 15096539 . 10.1084/jem.20031560 . 1361263 . etal.
• Brill LM, Salomon AR, Ficarro SB . Robust phosphoproteomic profiling of tyrosine phosphorylation sites from human T cells using immobilized metal affinity chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry . Anal. Chem. . 76 . 10 . 2763–72 . 2004 . 15144186 . 10.1021/ac035352d . etal.
• Ditton HJ, Zimmer J, Kamp C . The AZFa gene DBY (DDX3Y) is widely transcribed but the protein is limited to the male germ cells by translation control . Hum. Mol. Genet. . 13 . 19 . 2333–41 . 2005 . 15294876 . 10.1093/hmg/ddh240 . etal. free .
• Sekiguchi T, Iida H, Fukumura J, Nishimoto T . Human DDX3Y, the Y-encoded isoform of RNA helicase DDX3, rescues a hamster temperature-sensitive ET24 mutant cell line with a DDX3X mutation . Exp. Cell Res. . 300 . 1 . 213–22 . 2004 . 15383328 . 10.1016/j.yexcr.2004.07.005 .
• Gerhard DS, Wagner L, Feingold EA . The status, quality, and expansion of the NIH full-length cDNA project: the Mammalian Gene Collection (MGC) . Genome Res. . 14 . 10B . 2121–7 . 2004 . 15489334 . 10.1101/gr.2596504 . 528928 . etal.
• Ficarro SB, Salomon AR, Brill LM . Automated immobilized metal affinity chromatography/nano-liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization mass spectrometry platform for profiling protein phosphorylation sites . Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. . 19 . 1 . 57–71 . 2005 . 15570572 . 10.1002/rcm.1746 . 2005RCMS...19...57F . etal.
• Rush J, Moritz A, Lee KA . Immunoaffinity profiling of tyrosine phosphorylation in cancer cells . Nat. Biotechnol. . 23 . 1 . 94–101 . 2005 . 15592455 . 10.1038/nbt1046 . 7200157 . etal.
• Pope SN, Lee IR . Yeast two-hybrid identification of prostatic proteins interacting with human sex hormone-binding globulin . J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. . 94 . 1–3 . 203–8 . 2005 . 15862967 . 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2005.01.007 . 9746088 .

Notes and References

1. Lahn BT, Page DC . Functional coherence of the human Y chromosome . Science . 278 . 5338 . 675–80 . Nov 1997 . 9381176 . 10.1126/science.278.5338.675 . 1997Sci...278..675L .
2. Web site: Entrez Gene: DDX3Y DEAD (Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp) box polypeptide 3, Y-linked.