Heat-shock inducible polyubiquitin gene UbI undergoes alternative initiation and alternative splicing in mature chicken testes

• Published in: Molecular reproduction and development Vol. 46; no. 4; pp. 471 - 475
• Main Authors: Mezquita, J. (University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.), Pau, M, Mezquita, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.04.1997; Wiley-Liss
• Subjects: Alternative Splicing; Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Biopolymers - genetics; CELLS; CELLULE; CELULAS; CHICKENS; DNA, Complementary; ESPERMATOGENESIS; ESTRES TERMICO; EXPRESION GENICA; EXPRESSION DES GENES; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GENBANK/U57603; GENE EXPRESSION; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; HEAT SHOCK PROTEINS; heat-shock promoters; Heat-Shock Proteins - genetics; Male; Mammalian male genital system; meiotic and postmeiotic cells; MOLECULAR SEQUENCE DATA; Morphology. Physiology; NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE; Peptide Chain Initiation, Translational; POLLO; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polyubiquitin; POULET; PROTEINAS; PROTEINE; PROTEINS; SECUENCIA NUCLEOTIDICA; SEQUENCE NUCLEOTIDIQUE; SOMATIC CELLS; SPERMATOGENESE; SPERMATOGENESIS; Spermatogenesis - genetics; STRESS THERMIQUE; TATA Box; TESTES; TESTICULE; TESTICULOS; Testis - metabolism; THERMAL STRESS; TRANSCRIPCION; TRANSCRIPTION; Transcription, Genetic; ubiquitin gene expression; Ubiquitins - genetics; Vertebrates: reproduction; Ubiquitin; Alternative splicing; Transcription; Spermatogenesis; Male; Gene expression; Testicle; Male genital system; Vertebrata; Regulation(control); Heat shock protein; Chicken; Aves
• ISSN: 1040-452X; 1098-2795
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2795(199704)46:4<471::AID-MRD4>3.0.CO;2-L

Ubiquitin, a heat‐shock protein highly expressed during spermatogenesis, plays an essential role in the differentiation of the germinal cells, particularly in the structural changes of chromatin taking place at the end of the process. To shed light on the mechanisms that modulate transcriptional activity of the heat‐shock inducible polyubiquitin gene Ubl during spermatogenesis and stabilize the message when transcription is not longer active, we have compared the characteristics of Ubl transcripts in mature and immature testes and somatic cells. In mature chicken testes, transcription starts at a site placed closer to the heat‐shock promoters than in somatic tissues. This site is upstream from the TATA box used in somatic cells. In addition, Ubl transcript undergoes an alternative splicing that produces a longer 5′ untranslated region in mature testis. These findings may provide a basis for the observed increase in expression of Ubl in mature chicken testes and for the stability of the message when transcription ceases at the end of spermatogenesis. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 46:471–475, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.