The expression patterns of genes involved in the RNAi pathways are tissue-dependent and differ in the germ and somatic cells of mouse testis

Different RNA interference (RNAi) components participate in post-transcriptional regulation via RNA silencing. The expression pattern of the genes Drosha and Dicer and the members of the Argonaute family Ago1, Ago2, Ago3 and Ago4, all elements participating in the RNAi pathways, were investigated in mouse somatic tissues and testis using quantitative RT-PCR. Expression patterns of different testis cells and those emerging during testis development were also investigated. The differential patterns of expression seen suggest potential pleiotropic roles for certain components of the RNAi machinery. Both spermatocytes and spermatids showed a defined gene expression pattern. The strong expression of Ago4 in germ cells suggests that this protein plays a key role in germ-cell differentiation in the seminiferous epithelium.