Tex9, also known as Testis-expressed protein 9, is associated with cilia and has potential functions in ciliogenesis/flagellum formation in germ cells [3,5]. It may be involved in multiple biological processes, as its expression has been linked to various diseases, highlighting its biological importance. Drosophila knockdown models of Tex9 suggest it may not be essential for normal fertility [2].

In esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), Tex9 expression is positively associated with eIF3b expression and TNM stage. Tex9 and eIF3b functionally synergize to promote ESCC cell proliferation and migration, and inhibit apoptosis, through the activation of the AKT signaling pathway [1]. In a syngeneic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) model, an in vivo RNAi screening identified Tex9 as one of the genes that selectively regulate adaptive anti-tumor immunity, demonstrating its impact on anti-tumor immunity [4].

In conclusion, Tex9 is involved in cilia-related functions and may play a role in germ cell processes. Its study in model organisms has provided insights into its functions in cancer-related processes such as tumor cell progression in ESCC and regulation of anti-tumor immunity in TNBC, contributing to a better understanding of disease mechanisms.

References:

1. Xu, Fengkai, Zhang, Shu, Liu, Zhonghe, Ge, Di, Lu, Chunlai. 2019. TEX9 and eIF3b functionally synergize to promote the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In BMC cancer, 19, 875. doi:10.1186/s12885-019-6071-9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31481019/

2. Sieper, Marie H, Gaikwad, Avinash S, Fros, Marion, Tüttelmann, Frank, Wyrwoll, Margot J. 2023. Scrutinizing the human TEX genes in the context of human male infertility. In Andrology, 12, 570-584. doi:10.1111/andr.13511. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37594251/

3. Nevers, Yannis, Prasad, Megana K, Poidevin, Laetitia, Poch, Olivier, Lecompte, Odile. . Insights into Ciliary Genes and Evolution from Multi-Level Phylogenetic Profiling. In Molecular biology and evolution, 34, 2016-2034. doi:10.1093/molbev/msx146. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28460059/

4. Shuptrine, Casey W, Ajina, Reham, Fertig, Elana J, Hartman, Zachary C, Weiner, Louis M. 2017. An unbiased in vivo functional genomics screening approach in mice identifies novel tumor cell-based regulators of immune rejection. In Cancer immunology, immunotherapy : CII, 66, 1529-1544. doi:10.1007/s00262-017-2047-2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28770278/

5. Vandenbrouck, Yves, Pineau, Charles, Lane, Lydie. 2020. The Functionally Unannotated Proteome of Human Male Tissues: A Shared Resource to Uncover New Protein Functions Associated with Reproductive Biology. In Journal of proteome research, 19, 4782-4794. doi:10.1021/acs.jproteome.0c00516. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33064489/