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Gene expression during spermatogenesis in the rat

Lea, Isabel Alexia; (1992) Gene expression during spermatogenesis in the rat. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London). Green open access

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Abstract

Spermatogenesis comprises a complex series of events during which undifferentiated spermatogonia develop and give rise to fully differentiated testicular spermatozoa. These events form a programme of cell development characterised by the sequential activation and inactivation of certain testis expressed genes throughout spermatozoa development. The temporal sequence of these events and the mechanisms through which these differential patterns of gene expression are achieved are largely undefined at present. In attempting to characterise genes which play a role in the post-meiotic maturation of spermatids, a cDNA clone, pHT2, was isolated from a human λgt 11 library with antibodies raised to acrosomal preparations. Comparisons of the pHT2 nucleotide sequence to the those contained within the Genbank/EMBL database revealed that this clone was encoded by a novel single copy gene located on an autosomal chromosome. A functional significance for the pHT2 gene has been implied by a high degree of phylogenetic conservation in vetebrates from human to chickens. In the rat, analysis of the expression pattern of the pHT2 gene revealed transcription to be restricted to only testis, epididymis and ovary. Examining the pattern of testis specific pHT2 expression in more detail showed that the gene was expressed exclusively in stage IX of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium and that pHT2 mRNA localised most probably to Sertoli cells. Following preliminary Western blot analysis of spermatozoa and testis protein extracts the presence of the pHT2 protein has been confirmed in spermatozoa. These analyses indicate the expression of a gene encoding an unknown protein in a stage specific manner at the initial stage of spermatogenesis. Attempts were made also to elucidate the mechanism by which testis specific expression of the mouse U1 snRNA gene was brought about. This has revealed that whilst the octamer motif contained within the promoter of this gene was important for the transcriptional activity of this gene, it was not the sole determinant of testis specific gene expression.

Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Qualification: Ph.D
Title: Gene expression during spermatogenesis in the rat
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language: English
Additional information: Thesis digitised by ProQuest.
Keywords: Biological sciences; Health and environmental sciences; Spermatogenesis
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10108492
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