ADAM31: The Elusive Rodent Relative

ADAM31 is the protein that’s playing hide-and-seek with human geneticists! ADAM31 is like that distant cousin who only shows up at family reunions in other countries. While it’s a well-known member of the ADAM family in mice, it’s conspicuously absent from the human genome. In mice, ADAM31 is expressed in the testis, suggesting a role in reproduction. It’s like the mouse version of a fertility specialist, working behind the scenes to ensure the next generation of rodents.

But when it comes to humans, ADAM31 is more like a ghost story. Researchers have looked high and low, but this protein seems to have vanished from our genetic lineup. It’s as if evolution decided humans didn’t need this particular tool in their reproductive toolkit. In the grand soap opera of reproduction, ADAM31 is like that character who was written out of the human storyline but continues to have a thriving career in the mouse spin-off series.

As for its connection to snakes, like many of its ADAM relatives, ADAM31 shares structural similarities with snake venom components. It’s as if this protein decided to stick with its rodent cousins rather than slither into the human genome.