The fourth member of the FHL family of LIM proteins is expressed exclusively in the testis

Abstract

We have determined the sequence of a novel LIM protein, termed FHL4. It was found to contain the defining secondary structural arrangement of the FHL (formerly SLIM) family of LIM proteins. This sequence was assembled using EST sequences deposited on the dbEST database and from sequencing of PCR fragments, all of which were derived from murine testis cDNA. Northern analysis of a wide range of murine tissues demonstrated that the expression of FHL4 mRNA was restricted to the testis. Using in situ hybridisation, FHL4 mRNA was found to be associated with the seminiferous epithelium and not with the interstitial tissue surrounding the seminiferous tubules. It is suggested that mFHL4 is associated with the process of spermatogenesis.