Gene Expression of E2F1 in Chicken and Mouse Testes at Various Developmental Stages

E2F1 (Adenoviral E2 promoter binding transcription factor 1), mediating cell proliferation and p53-dependent/inde-pendent apoptosis, has been shown to be involved in spermatogenesis in mouse testis. In this study, to obtain clues to the role of E2F1 in chicken testis development, we examined the expression of E2F1 in chicken testis at embryonic days 14 and 17, newly hatched, one week old and adult by comparing its expression in mouse testis at corresponding stages. Quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated marked differences between chicken and mouse in the expression profile in the course of chicken/mouse testis development; chicken testis showed the highest E2F1 expression in adult, whereas mouse testis showed the expression decreased with development. This observation indicated that the maturation process of testis in chicken is different from that in mouse.