Transmembrane Protein 225 (TMEM225)

TMEM225, which is specifically expressed in rat testis, has been identified. It contains an open reading frame with a length of 696 bp, encoding a protein with four putative transmembrane helices.TMEM225 mRNA expression was evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization. In addition, the subcellular location of TMEM225 was evaluated. The results obtained highlighted age-related specific expression of TMEM225 in testis, specifically during the adult period after age of 13 months. In situ hybridization analysis indicated that TMEM225 mRNA was mainly expressed in spermatocyte cells and round spermatids. TMEM225 may play an important role in sperm degeneration but not in spermatogenesis.