Testis-expressed protein 15 (TEX15)

Testis-expressed protein 15 (TEX15) is a large, serine-rich protein encoded by the TEX15 gene on chromosome 8p12, displaying highly testis-specific expression[1][3][4]. TEX15 is essential for male germ cell development and fertility, playing a critical role in meiotic processes through facilitating DNA double-strand break repair, chromosome synapsis, and recombination in spermatocytes[1][3][4]. It acts as a key factor in the proper loading of repair proteins, such as RAD51 and DMC1, onto meiotic chromosomes and is indispensable for the epigenetic silencing of transposable elements (TEs), functioning as a nuclear effector that interacts with PIWI proteins (MIWI2 and MILI) to mediate de novo TE DNA methylation[2][5]. Male mice deficient in TEX15 are infertile due to meiotic arrest and extensive genome instability; in humans, rare variants of the TEX15 gene have been implicated as a monogenic cause of spermatogenic failure and, in some reports, as possible risk factors for breast cancer[1][3][4]. There are currently no known drugs targeting TEX15, nor is it considered a therapeutic drug target.

Other names

TEX15Testis expressed 15CT42Cancer/testis antigen 42SPGF25testis-expressed sequence 15 protein