K. Nayernia et al., DIPLOID EXPRESSION AND TRANSLATIONAL REGULATION OF RAT ACROSIN GENE, Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 202(1), 1994, pp. 88-93
Acrosin, a sperm acrosomal serine protease has been implicated in the
recognition, binding and penetration of the zona pellucida of the ovum
. Biosynthesis of acrosin was found to start in early round spermatids
which are haploid germ cells. Here, we report that acrosin gene trans
cription occurs as early as at day 19 of rat spermatogenesis which con
tains diploid but not haploid spermatogenic cells. Translational contr
ol of the acrosin gene may be due to cytoplasmic protein factors which
through RNA-bandshift experiments were found to bind to the 5'UTR of
the acrosin mRNA. In order to differentiate between diploid and haploi
d spermatogenic cells at the molecular level, transcription of the pro
tamine 2 gene during rat testicular development was evaluated. Protami
ne 2 transcripts could be demonstrated for the first time in 25-day-ol
d testes which contain diploid as well as haploid spermatogenic cells.
(C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.