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  • Title: Sequence analysis of a variety of primate fertilin alpha genes: evidence for non-functional genes in the gorilla and man.
    Author: Jury JA, Frayne J, Hall L.
    Journal: Mol Reprod Dev; 1998 Sep; 51(1):92-7. PubMed ID: 9712322.
    Abstract:
    The sperm surface fertilin complex was first described in the guinea pig where it was found as a heterodimer of alpha and beta subunits, both of which were proposed to play a role in sperm-oolemma recognition and plasma membrane fusion during fertilisation. Whilst the beta subunit is apparently testis-specific, the finding of low levels of fertilin alpha in nonreproductive tissues has cast some doubt on a unique role in fertilisation. Moreover, the absence of a functional fertilin alpha gene in the human would imply that this gene product is not absolutely essential for fertilisation, although it could play a facilitatory role. We now describe the organisation and sequence of the fertilin alpha genes in a range of primates, including the great apes, and find that the gorilla gene, like that of the human, is non-functional.
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