Post-transcriptional regulation of secretory protein production during the development of the guinea pig seminal vesicle.

To investigate the influence of androgens on secretory protein expression during the development of the guinea pig seminal vesicle epithelium, we examined the patterns of mRNA and protein accumulation during the first 2 wk after birth. Hybridization of total seminal vesicle RNA to cDNA probes revealed that the secretory protein genes were active as early as 5 days after birth. However, the accumulation of secretory proteins was barely detectable between Days 5 and 10, and could not be enhanced by treatment of neonatal animals with exogenous androgens. Secretory protein mRNA and protein levels both increased rapidly between Days 10 and 15. However, the 800-fold rise in protein levels between Days 5 and 15 greatly exceeded the magnitude of the increase in secretory protein mRNA that occurred during this interval. These data indicate that the rate of secretory protein accumulation in the guinea pig seminal vesicle is not determined strictly by the availability of secretory protein mRNA, and suggest that post-transcriptional mechanisms may contribute to the regulation of secretory protein accumulation in neonatal guinea pigs.