Clgn - calmegin

This gene belongs to the calreticulin family, which includes calreticulin, calnexin, and calmegin, and encodes a calcium-binding molecular chaperone specifically expressed in pachytene stage male germ cells. It is required for the proper folding of newly synthesized membrane proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum including those critical for sperm migration from the uterus into the oviduct and sperm adhesion to and penetration of the zona pellucida. This gene plays a key role in spermatogenesis and male infertility. Alternative splice variants exist for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2016]