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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
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TNP2
transition protein 2
Chromosome 16 · 16p13.13
NCBI Gene: 7142Ensembl: ENSG00000178279.4HGNC: HGNC:11952UniProt: Q05952
34PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
protein bindingzinc ion bindingspermatogenesisnucleosomedermatitisprimary biliary cirrhosisinflammatory bowel diseaseatopic eczema
✦AI Summary

TNP2 (transition protein 2) is a testis-specific nuclear protein essential for mammalian spermatogenesis. During spermiogenesis, TNP2 functions as a key intermediary in replacing histones with protamines, promoting histone eviction and enabling progressive sperm head condensation 1. TNP2 is expressed postmeiotically in round and elongating spermatids under stage-specific control, with a 74-bp promoter region conferring testis- and spermatid-specific expression 2. The protein exhibits coordinate regulation with protamine genes (PRM1/PRM2), with expression patterns suggesting PRM2 > PRM1 ≥ TNP2 1. Mechanistically, TNP2 contains conserved regulatory sequences including CRE elements and poly(A) signals critical for translational control in haploid cells 3. Clinically, TNP2 dysfunction associates with male infertility. TNP2-knockout mice exhibit teratozoospermia with acrosomal abnormalities and reduced sperm motility despite normal chr16 condensation 4. In azoospermic patients, elevated TNP2 mRNA expression predicts successful spermatozoa retrieval with 72% discriminatory accuracy 5. Conversely, elevated TNP2 transcripts in teratozoospermic men correlate with sperm head defects 6, suggesting dysregulated TNP2 expression impairs spermatogenesis. Genetic variations including SNPs and promoter mutations in TNP2 associate with male infertility 7. TNP2 mRNA abundance serves as a biomarker for diagnosing male infertility and predicting reproductive outcomes.

Sources cited
1
A 74-bp promoter region of Tnp2 confers testis- and spermatid-specific gene expression; TNP2 expression occurs during histone replacement with protamines
PMID: 11716517
2
Increased TNP2 mRNA expression in testicular tissue associates with successful spermatozoa retrieval in azoospermic men with 72% discriminatory ability
PMID: 34235877
3
TNP2 is expressed postmeiotically in round and elongating spermatids; coordinates with PRM1 and PRM2 expression for sperm DNA condensation
PMID: 7865133
4
TNP2 is identified as a hub gene interacting with VASA in germ cell development and male infertility pathophysiology
PMID: 36241908
5
TNP2 contains conserved 5' and 3' UTRs with CRE elements and poly(A) signals; single intron structure conserved across mammalian species
PMID: 18562159
6
TNP2 gene contains SNPs causing amino acid substitutions associated with male infertility in sterile populations
PMID: 16291974
7
TNP2-deficient mice show teratozoospermia with acrosomal abnormalities and reduced sperm motility; TNP1 upregulation may partially compensate
PMID: 11385107
8
Elevated TNP2 transcripts in teratozoospermic men positively correlate with sperm head defects; TNP2 serves as male infertility biomarker
PMID: 25536093
Disease Associationsⓘ20
dermatitisOpen Targets
0.33Weak
primary biliary cirrhosisOpen Targets
0.25Weak
inflammatory bowel diseaseOpen Targets
0.17Weak
atopic eczemaOpen Targets
0.16Weak
asthmaOpen Targets
0.13Weak
psoriasisOpen Targets
0.13Weak
diverticular diseaseOpen Targets
0.12Weak
azoospermiaOpen Targets
0.12Weak
Crohn's diseaseOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
ankylosing spondylitisOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 72Open Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure, X-linked, 5Open Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 18Open Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 27Open Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 46Open Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 19Open Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 43Open Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 45Open Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 49Open Targets
0.09Suggestive
spermatogenic failure 82Open Targets
0.09Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
KPNA3Protein interaction77%PRM2Protein interaction76%PRM1Protein interaction74%PRM3Protein interaction71%TNP1Protein interaction63%CCER1Shared pathway40%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Bone Marrow
100%
Heart
0%
Ovary
0%
Liver
0%
Brain
0%
Lung
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
TNP2KPNA3PRM2PRM1PRM3TNP1CCER1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q05952
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.71LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF1.04 [0.64–1.71]
RankingsWhere TNP2 stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #11,259of 20,598
    Most Researched34
  • #16,136of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.71
Genes detectedTNP2
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
A 74-bp promoter of the Tnp2 gene confers testis- and spermatid-specific expression in transgenic mice.
PMID: 11716517
Biochem Biophys Res Commun · 2001
1.00
2
Spermatozoa retrieval in azoospermia and expression profile of JMJD1A, TNP2, and PRM2 in a subset of the Karachi population.
PMID: 34235877
Andrology · 2021
0.90
3
Coordinate expression of the PRM1, PRM2, and TNP2 multigene locus in human testis.
PMID: 7865133
DNA Cell Biol · 1995
0.80
4
VASA protein and gene expression analysis of human non-obstructive azoospermia and normal by immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, and bioinformatics analysis.
PMID: 36241908
Sci Rep · 2022
0.70
5
Comparative genomics reveals gene-specific and shared regulatory sequences in the spermatid-expressed mammalian Odf1, Prm1, Prm2, Tnp1, and Tnp2 genes.
PMID: 18562159
Genomics · 2008
0.60