Abstract
RNA polymerase I and II and poly(ADP-ribosyl) synthetase activities were determined in isolated nuclei prepared from mouse testes at 1, 3, and 8 weeks after birth. RNA polymerase II and poly(ADP-ribosyl) synthetase activities increased with progression of spermatogenesis and age while RNA polymerase I activity decreased. The observed inverse relationship of RNA polymerase I and II parallels the shift in the species of RNA produced during spermatogenesis. Poly(ADP-ribosyl) synthetase activity increased with age, reaching a peak at 8 weeks. These enzymatic activities in aged mouse testis nuclei were equivalent to that of 8-week-old mice.
Germ cells from the adult testis were separated by unit gravity velocity sedimentation. The enriched fractions containing pachytene and round spermatids possessed RNA polymerase and poly(ADP-ribosyl) synthetase activities. The present results suggest that transcriptional events during spermatogenesis may be modulated by changes in the activities of variants of RNA polymerase.