Unique hexokinase messenger ribonucleic acids lacking the porin-binding domain are developmentally expressed in mouse spermatogenic cells.

We have identified cDNAs representing three hexokinase mRNAs (Hk1-sa, Hk1-sb, Hk1-sc) by screening mouse spermatogenic cell cDNA libraries with a mouse hepatoma cell line hexokinase (Hk1) cDNA [Arora KK, Fanciulli M, Pederson PL. J Biol Chem 1990; 265:6481-6488]. Although all three cDNAs show 99% identity to the somatic Hk1 cDNA sequence throughout most of their coding region, they differ from this sequence at the 5' end. They contain a common spermatogenic cell-specific sequence and a sequence unique to each cDNA immediately 5' to the common domain. However, they lack the porin-binding domain (PBD) present in this region of Hk1, used for binding to a pore-forming protein in the outer mitochondrial membrane. These observations appear to support a model proposed by others for hexokinase gene evolution in mammals. In addition, we found that Hk1-sb has an internal sequence that is not present in Hk1, Hk1-sa, or Hk1-sc. Moreover, Hk1-sa and Hk1-sb transcripts are developmentally expressed in mouse spermatogenic cells. Hk1-sa mRNA is first expressed during meiosis and continues to be present in postmeiotic germ cells, while the more abundant Hk1-sb mRNA is detected only in postmeiotic germ cells. These and other findings suggest that enzymes encoded by Hk1-sa, Hk1-sb, and Hk1-sc are present only in spermatogenic cells.