Analyses of stage-specific multiple forms of lactate dehydrogenase and of cytochrome c during spermatogenesis in the mouse.

Spermatogenesis is a programmed developmental process characterized by the inactivation of certain genes and the activation of other, testis-specific genes. Synthesis of unique gene products such as LDH-C4 and cytochrome ct occurs only at precise stage of germ cell formation. The developmental sequences of gene activation for these proteins was observed by immunohistochemical procedures. LDH-C4 is first detectable during mid-pachytene of the primary spermatocyte. The C subunits appear to be uniformly distributed throughout the cytoplasm of the spermatocyte. The mid-pachytene stage also marks the first appearance of cytochrome ct. The association of this electron transport protein with spermatocyte mitochondria is reflected in a granular fluorescence of specific antibody-treated sections of testis. Neither the C subunit of LDH, nor cytochrome ct appear in leptotene or early pachytene primary spermatocytes. These analyses indicate that there is stage-specific protein synthesis in the primary spermatocyte which is characterized by differential activation of the LDH-C locus and of the gene coding for cytochrome ct.