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Promoter Analysis of Male Germ-Cell-Specific Genes: Nuclear Transition Protein-1 and Histone H1t

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Cellular and Molecular Regulation of Testicular Cells

Part of the book series: Serono Symposia USA Norwell, Massachusetts ((SERONOSYMP))

Abstract

Spermatogenesis demonstrates a regulated program of genetic expression driving a complex progression of cellular differentiation. A current challenge is to understand the factors responsible for the many examples of differential gene expression documented during spermatogenesis (1,2). An aspect of male germ-cell differentiation that is fairly well described at the molecular level involves changes in DNA packaging by basic chromosomal proteins. Histones are responsible for the fundamental packaging unit of chromatin, the nucleosome, and early male germ cells contain the standard somatic forms of histones. However, beginning in late spermatogonia, novel histone variants that are unique to the male germ line start to appear. These include the core histone variants TH2A, TH2B, and TH3, as well as the linker histone variant H1t. The variants replace some, though not all, of their somatic-type counterparts, so that by the last third of meiotic prophase the spermatocyte nucleus is substantially enriched for testis-specific histones. This chromatin state persists into round spermatids until the spermatid nuclei elongate and condense (3, 4).

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Authors
  1. Malathi K. Kistler
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  2. John G. Bartell
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  3. Edward A. Shipwash
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  4. Wendy R. Hatfield
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  5. Sharon E. Clare
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  6. Michael J. Dewey
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  7. W. Stephen Kistler
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA

    Claude Desjardins Ph.D.

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

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Kistler, M.K. et al. (1996). Promoter Analysis of Male Germ-Cell-Specific Genes: Nuclear Transition Protein-1 and Histone H1t. In: Desjardins, C. (eds) Cellular and Molecular Regulation of Testicular Cells. Serono Symposia USA Norwell, Massachusetts. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2374-0_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-2374-0_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-7519-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-2374-0

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