Zygote Arrest 1 Like Protein (ZAR1L)

ZAR1L encodes a member of the ZAR1 family that is predominantly expressed in oocytes and early embryos. The protein may function as an RNA regulator in early embryos.Structure of Zar1-like is similar to Zar1 gene, nevertheless they are located on distinct chromosomes. Bovine Zar1-like and the only two other available mRNA leader sequences (human and chicken) exhibit a number of upstream AUGs, suggesting that they are likely to be regulated at translational level. Expression patterns of the cattle transcripts show that Zar1-like is absent in early stages of embryo development, whereas Zar1 is expressed in matured oocytes and in in vitro produced pre-implantation embryos. In adult tissues Zar1-like transcript expression appears to be less restricted than Zar1, nevertheless, at least in bovine, both mRNAs are co-expressed in gonads, raising the question of a possible functional link.