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The mRNA for the opioid peptide precursor proenkephalin is widely distributed throughout the male and female reproductive systems of rodents. In the present studies, the concentrations of proenkephalin-derived peptides in selected reproductive tissues of the rat have been determined. When compared with previously characterized tissues such as brain, the peptide contents in reproductive tissues were unexpectedly low relative to the abundance of proenkephalin mRNA. This suggested that either translation of proenkephalin mRNA is relatively inefficient in reproductive tissues or that the turnover of proenkephalin products occurs at a higher rate, or both. To distinguish between these possible mechanisms, the polysomal distributions of proenkephalin mRNA in different rat reproductive tissues and in rat brain were determined. In adult rat testis, in which the predominant proenkephalin RNA is the 1700-nucleotide form present in spermatogenic cells, the transcript was found to be mainly associated with translationally inactive ribonucleoprotein fractions. In contrast, the 1450-nucleotide form of proenkephalin mRNA appeared to be translated to a similar extent in rat brain, epididymis, ovary, and somatic cells of the immature rat testis. It therefore appears that inefficient translation of proenkephalin mRNA in spermatogenic cells is a major determinant of the low ratio of proenkephalin peptides to RNA in the adult rat testis, while posttranslational mechanisms (most likely peptide turnover) are involved in the rat epididymis, ovary, and presumably other reproductive tissues. These findings also indicate that mRNA and/or translation product concentrations within a given tissue are not always accurate indicators of the level of peptide or protein production.

Translational Status of Proenkephalin mRNA in the Rat Reproductive System