Transcriptional regulation of the prolactin gene in the decidua differs from that in the pituitary. Several lines of evidence strongly suggest this difference is due to regulation of the prolactin gene in the decidua and other extra-pituitary tissues by tissue-specific transcription factors, which activate distinct promoters to induce prolactin gene expression in extra-pituitary sites compared with the pituitary. The human decidua is a major site of extra-pituitary expression of the prolactin gene. Here we present evidence that the transcription factor Ets-1 is critical for basal expression of the decidua-type (or decidual) prolactin promoter. Overexpression of Ets-1 significantly induces decidual prolactin promoter activity in BeWo and JAR cells that express little or no endogenous Ets-1. Conversely, a dominant/negative mutant of Ets represses basal promoter activity. Although the proximal 1.5 kb of the decidual prolactin promoter contains six Ets motifs, only the Ets motif at nt -77/-71 is essential for basal gene expression. Mutation of the Ets motif at nt -77/-71 results in an approximately 90% decrease in promoter activity, while mutation of the other Ets motifs results in only small changes. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrate that Ets proteins in decidualized endometrial stromal cells bind this Ets motif in the decidual prolactin promoter. Ets protein expression increases up to 20-fold upon induction of decidualization in endometrial stromal cells under conditions in which expression of the prolactin gene is also induced. These studies provide strong evidence for a critical role of the Ets transcription factor in basal expression of the decidual prolactin promoter.
Search Results
You are looking at 1 - 2 of 2 items for
- Author: S Handwerger x
- Refine by Access: All content x
AK Brar, CA Kessler, and S Handwerger
A Stephanou, M Shah, B Richardson, and S Handwerger
ABSTRACT
Studies were performed to determine whether ARP-1, which is an orphan receptor of the steroid receptor superfamily, inhibits basal activity of the human placental lactogen (hPL) promoter and the increase in hPL promoter activity in response to the receptors for thyroid hormone (TR) and retinoic acid (RAR). Co-transfection of an ARP-1 expression vector into BeWo choriocarcinoma cells, along with an expression vector containing 1·2 kb of the hPL promoter coupled to a CAT reporter gene, resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of basal CAT activity. In addition, ARP-1 inhibited the stimulation of CAT activity by RARα and TRβ expression vectors. Mobility shift assays demonstrated that ARP-1 binds specifically to a composite steroid response element on the hPL promoter that confers retinoic acid and T3 responsiveness. The results implicate an inhibitory role for ARP-1 in the regulation of hPL gene expression and strongly suggest that hPL gene expression is regulated, at least in part, by the interaction of stimulatory and inhibitory members of the steroid receptor superfamily.
