Gene expression of mouse M1 and M2 pyruvate kinase isoenzymes correlates with differential poly[A] tract extension of their mRNAs during the development of spermatogenesis.

In eukaryotes, different isoenzymes for pyruvate kinase have been characterized. M2-type Pk cDNA from a mouse fetal ovary library was isolated and differential expression for M1 and M2-types during testis development was observed. While the presence of M2 mRNAs decreases throughout the development of spermatogenesis, we deduced that M1 type expression increases in adult testis coinciding with the presence of elongating spermatids in the seminiferous epithelium. Polyadenylation tests showed a concurrent increase in the length of the polyadenylation tail of transcribed M1-type pyruvate kinase mRNAs in prepuberal to adult seminiferous tubules. A similar relationship between poly[A] tail extension and differential increase of gene expression was detected for M1-type mRNA in adult brain and muscle. Length of poly[A] tail of M2-type transcripts is shown to decrease during the development of mouse testis. These results suggest that changes in the length of the poly[A] tail of transcripts are associated with differential expression of both regulated isoenzymes during testicular development.