Testis expressed 15 is aprotein that in humans is encoded by the TEX15gene.[5]
TheTEX15 gene displaystestis-specific expression, maps to chromosome 8, contains fourexons and encodes a 2789-amino acid protein.[6] TheTEX15 gene encodes aDNA damage response factor important inmeiosis. TEX15 is also a nuclear effector of the mammalian piRNA pathway, required for silencing of transposable elements within the developing germline.[7]
In mice, disruption of an ortholog of theTEX15 gene caused a drastic reduction in testis size and meiotic arrest in males.[8] TEX15, in mice, is required forchromosomesynapsis, meiotic recombination andDNA double-strand break repair.[8] Furthermore, TEX15 regulates the loading of recombination proteins (RAD51 andDMC1) onto sites of DNA double-strand breaks, and its absence causes a failure of meiotic recombination.
