Description
DDX4 (DEAD/H BOX 4), also known as VASA. The deduced 724-amino acid VASA protein contains the 8 conserved domains found in all known DEAD box proteins. The amino acid sequence in this core region shows greater similarity to VASA homologs in other species than to other human DEAD box proteins. By radiation hybrid analysis, Castrillon et al.(2000) mapped the VASA gene to 5q. By fluorescence in situ hybridization, they refined the localization to 5q11.2-q12. This region is syntenic to the distal end of mouse chromosome 13, where the mouse VASA homolog(Ddx4) resides(Abe and Noce, 1997). Using a combination of proteomics, cytology, and functional analysis in C. elegans, Chu et al.(2006) reduced 1,099 proteins copurified with spermatogenic chromatin to 132 proteins for functional analysis