Testis Derived Transcript (TES)

TESTIN encode a protein with a calculated molecular mass of 48 kD. Isoform 3, which uses exon 1b, encodes a deduced 412-amino acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 47 kD. Each of the isoforms contains 3 LIM domains in the C terminus and shows 89% and 35% sequence identity with the mouse and C. elegans homologs, respectively. Human TESTIN contains 7 putative functional sites: 4 phosphorylation sites, a glycosylation site, a myristylation site, and a cytochrome C heme-binding site. Northern blot analysis of normal human tissues demonstrated ubiquitous expression of an approximately 2.8-kb TESTIN transcript, which apparently corresponded to isoforms 2 and 3. An approximately 1.5-kb transcript, corresponding to isoform 1, was expressed at significantly higher levels in testis than in other tissues.