Expression of the Hprt gene during spermatogenesis: implications for sex-chromosome inactivation

The goal of this study was to determine the developmental pattern of expression of the X-linked gene for hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (Hprt) during spermatogenesis and the relevance of this expression to X-chromosome inactivation during meiotic prophase. The results demonstrated that HPRT activity is maintained in mouse spermatogenic cells throughout development in spite of X-chromosome inactivation; however, specific activities of HPRT in meiotic and postmeiotic germ cells were significantly lower than in premeiotic ones. Maintenance of Hprt transcripts at all stages was also demonstrated. Interestingly, the highest level of Hprt transcripts was found in leptotene/zygotene spermatocytes, suggesting a hyperactivation of the Hprt gene and/or stabilization of Hprt transcripts in these cells. Hprt transcripts were present at very low levels in pachytene spermatocytes, and at slightly elevated levels in round spermatids. It was also found that the relative abundance of Hprt transcripts in the somatic cells of germ-cell-deficient testes was much greater than that in meiotic and postmeiotic germ cells, even though their activities of HPRT were similar. Examination of the translational status of Hprt transcripts in testicular cells revealed that while most of the transcript was translationally active in somatic cells of testes, less than half of the transcript was on polysomes in pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids. Since no functional autosomal Hprt gene exists in the mouse, these data suggest that the germ cell maintains both transcript and protein product of the Hprt gene in spite of apparent X-chromosome inactivation.