Nucleotide sequence of a cDNA encoding rat protamine and the haploid expression of the gene during rat spermatogenesis.

The nucleotide sequence of a 342-base cDNA encoding the rat protamine has been determined. This insert, isolated from a rat testis cDNA library, encodes a polypeptide of 50 amino acids of which 29 are arginine 9 are cysteine and 2 are tyrosine. The insert contains the complete 3'-noncoding region of 170 bases and 18 bases of the 5'-noncoding region. Hybridization of the protamine cDNA with the RNA prepared from testes of prepubertal and sexually mature rats revealed that protamine mRNA is first detectable as a 600 nucleotide long molecule in the 35-day old testis containing around 15% of round spermatids but not in testis of younger animals. The RNA of 50-day old and sexually mature rats was found to contain a second protamine mRNA which is around 500 nucleotides in length. Hybridization of the protamine cDNA with the RNA of isolated spermatids of the mature testis resulted in 2 prominent hybridization signals (600 and 500 bp) while the faint signal obtained with the RNA of pachytene spermatocytes (600 bp) was found to be due to contamination of the cell preparation by spermatids. After digestion of the mRNAs with ribonuclease H a single hybridization band even smaller than 500 nucleotides was obtained. As demonstrated on testis sections the transcripts are confined to the central layers of the tubuli seminiferi corresponding to the spatial arrangement of corresponding to the spatial arrangement of postmeiotic cells. The results indicate that the protamine gene in the rat is postmeiotically expressed and that the mRNA undergoes post-transcriptional processing that includes a reduction in molecular size with respect to the poly-(A)+ tail.