This gene belongs to the VCX/Y gene family, which has multiple members on both X and Y chromosomes, and all are expressed exclusively in male germ cells. The X-linked members are clustered on chromosome Xp22 and Y-linked members are two identical copies of the gene within a palindromic region on Yq11. The family members share a high degree of sequence identity, with the exception that a 30-bp unit is tandemly repeated in X-linked members but occurs only once in Y-linked members. The VCX gene cluster is polymorphic in terms of copy number; different individuals may have a different number of VCX genes. VCX/Y genes encode small and highly charged proteins of unknown function. The presence of a putative bipartite nuclear localization signal suggests that VCX/Y members are nuclear proteins. This gene contains 8 repeats of the 30-bp unit. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]. Sequence Note: This RefSeq record was created from transcript and genomic sequence data to make the sequence consistent with the reference genome assembly. The genomic coordinates used for the transcript record were based on transcript alignments.
Function: May mediate a process in spermatogenesis or may play a role in sex ratio distortion.