Unique alternative translation from two open reading frames on Acpin1 mRNA yields an acrosomal protein and a salivary-gland-specific protein.

Objective: To examine the expression profiles of the proteins translated from Acpin1 mRNA in germ cells.

Methods: Northern and western blotting of various tissues and immunohistochemical analysis of germ cells were carried out in a mouse model.

Results: ACPIN1 protein was transcribed from the longer, 3' open reading frame (ORF) of Acpin1. An alternative-splicing variant, Acpin1vs, contained only the smaller, 5' ORF of the full-length Acpin1 gene. Its gene product, SAGSIN1, was expressed specifically in salivary glands. Retrotransposed regions of Acpin1 homology were also detected in various chromosomes, and intronless paralogous genes on the X chromosome were expressed in the testis and other tissues. The genomic structure of Acpin1 is highly conserved in mammals.

Conclusion: The two ORFs on the Acpin1 mRNA are independently translated in differentiated cells. Analysis of gene Acpin1 might clarify the molecular mechanism of spermatogenesis.