Stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 protein homolog (STRA8)

Stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 protein homolog (STRA8) is a retinoic acid–responsive transcriptional regulator essential for the initiation of meiosis in germ cells of vertebrates. Upon retinoic acid stimulation, STRA8 is induced in premeiotic germ cells within both embryonic ovaries and juvenile testes, triggering the meiotic program through complex formation—such as with MEIOSIN—and transcriptional activation of meiotic genes. STRA8’s molecular function is further refined by its ability to interact with other transcription factors, including members of the basic Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) family (such as TCF3/E47 and SOHLH1), enabling it to both activate and inhibit transcriptional networks relevant for germ cell proliferation, differentiation, and acquisition of meiotic competence. Its deficiency disrupts normal chromosomal events such as cohesion, synapsis, and recombination, resulting in infertility in both sexes. STRA8 signals exclusively in the germ cell lineage and, while central to reproductive biology, is not considered a conventional drug target or therapeutic receptor/enzyme.

Other names

Stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8STRA8stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 protein homologstimulated by retinoic acid 8