EXPRESSION OF PREPROENKEPHALIN-LIKE MRNA IN THE TESTIS

旁分泌相互作用在细胞通讯中起着重要作用 在睾丸内。大鼠脑内阿片肽及其受体的存在 睾丸表明，至少这个多肽家族可能起作用。 在一定程度上，作为睾丸功能的局部调节者。PI成功了 在鉴定表达该基因的多种睾丸细胞类型中 阿片肽前体前脑啡肽：生精细胞和 支持细胞。因此，前脑啡肽衍生的多肽可能在 体细胞和雄性生殖细胞的睾丸内活动 对精子发生的调节很重要。此外，老鼠和 小鼠生精细胞含有独特的1700核苷酸形式的 原脑啡肽核糖核酸，在体细胞中不存在，是发育中的 受监管的。因此，前脑啡肽基因可以作为一种模型 生殖细胞基因表达的调控。 这项建议的目的是：(1)描述顺位代理的特征 原脑啡肽基因中负责其表达的元件和 生精细胞发育阶段特异性调控：和(2) 鉴定脑啡肽原核糖核酸的翻译产物 在它所在的不同睾丸细胞中。后者 实验将是重要的最终阐明 睾丸前脑啡肽衍生多肽的功能。

Paracrine interactions play an important role in cellular communication within the testis. The presence of opioid peptides and their receptors in the testis has suggested that this peptide family may function, at least in part, as local regulators of testicular function. The PI has succeeded in identifying multiple testicular cell types that express the gene for the opioid peptide precursor, proenkephalin: spermatogenic cells and Sertoli cells. Proenkephalin-derived peptides therefore may mediate intratesticular actions of somatic as well as male germ cells that are important for the regulation of spermatogenesis. In addition, rat and mouse spermatogenic cells contain a unique 1700-nucleotide form of proenkephalin RNA, not found in somatic cells, that is developmentally regulated. The proenkephalin gene thus serves as a model for the regulation of germ-cell gene expression. The aims of this proposal are: (1) to characterize the cis-acting elements within the proenkephalin gene responsible for its expression and developmental stage-specific regulation in spermatogenic cells: and (2) to characterize the translation products derived from proenkephalin RNA in the different testicular cells in which it is present. The latter experiments will be important for the ultimate elucidation of the functions of testicular proenkephalin-derived peptides.