GENE-EXPRESSION DURING SPERMATOGENESIS

Male germ cells undergo a dramatic differentiation in testis leading to a highly specialized haploid cell, the spermatozoon. A specific pattern of gene expression corresponds to each stage of differentiation including post meiotic stages. This unique diversity in gene expression results from the use of a wide variety of regulatory mechanisms : genes that are specifically transcribed in germ cells, specific promoters, alternative splicing and polyadenylation. The physiological relevance of the expression of certain genes such as oncogenes, heat shock proteins genes, neuropeptides genes is still poorly understood. These questions are starting to be addressed now.