Transcription of the chicken histone H5 gene is mediated by distinct tissue-specific elements within the promoter and the 3'' enhancer.

Molecular genetic analysis of a number of vertebrate erythroid cell-specific genes has identified at least two types of cis-acting regulatory sequences which control the complex developmental pattern of gene expression during erythroid cell maturation. Tissue-specific cellular enhancers have been identified 3' to three erythroid cell-specific genes, and additional regulatory elements have been identified in the promoters of many erythroid genes. We show that the histone H5 enhancer, like the adult beta-globin enhancer, is involved in mediating the developmental induction of histone H5 mRNA as erythroid cells mature. We also describe the preliminary characterization of a tissue-specific regulatory element within the 5' region of the H5 locus and describe investigations of the interaction between this element and the histone H5 enhancer in mediating histone H5 regulation.     

生长激素分泌促进剂及构效关系研究进展

生长激素分泌促进剂是一类作用于垂体和下丘脑的具有专一性促生长激素释放作用的寡肽及其类似物.由于其分子质量小、活性高、可口服、作用专一而有可能成为新的生长激素治疗药物.目前已经发展了很多具有此类活性的多种结构的化合物,如肽、环肽、肽醇及非肽类似物等.尽管这类化合物的作用机制尚未完全明确,但已有证据表明存在新的调节生长激素分泌的途径和新的调节因子.     

Neuroendocrine Regulation of Growth Hormone Secretion in Teleost Fishes with Emphasis on the Involvement of Gonadal Sex Steroids

In teleost fishes, growth hormone (GH) appears to play an important regulatory role in several, apparently disparate, physiological events, including reproduction, osmotic or ionic regulation, metabolism, growth and development. GH secretion is regulated by hypothalamic neuroendocrine factors that either act directly on the somatotrophic cells in the pituitary gland, or modulate the secretion or activity of other neuroendocrine factors. In addition, the degree of the neuroendocrine influence on GH release is influenced by the nutritional and reproductive state of the fish; moreover, there appear to be marked species differences in some aspects of this neuroendocrine-physiological condition relationship among fish species. Thus, the neuroendocrine control of GH secretion in fishes is complex, and still poorly understood. The neuropeptides, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, growth hormone-releasing hormone, thyrotrophin-releasing hormone, neuropeptide Y, serotonin and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide have all been demonstrated to stimulate GH in fish, as has the glutamate agonist, N-methyl-d,l-aspartate. Conversely, somatostatin has a potent inhibitory action on GH release in goldfish and carp, but is less effective in salmon and trout species.This review examines the interactive nature of the neuroendocrine control of GH secretion in fishes, and the manner in which gonadal steroids, directly or indirectly, modulate GH secretion and/or the release, or the activity, of the neuroendocrine factors.     

生长激素促释放剂受体配体的研究进展

生长激素促释放剂是一种合成的小分子化合物,它通过生长激素促释放剂受体而起作用,该受体是一种新的G蛋白偶联受体。以前曾认为生长激素促释放剂受体是一种孤儿受体,直到近年来从人和鼠的胃中鉴定到Ghrelin的存在,而改变了这种看法。Ghrelin是包含28个氨基酸残基的肽,在3号位的丝氨酸位点有辛酰化基团。该肽是在X／A样细胞分泌颗粒中发现的,Ghrelin的发现表明促垂体分泌生长激素可能不止受到来自下丘脑的生长激素释放激素的调节,同时还可能受到来自胃和下丘脑的Ghrelin的调节。     

The homeodomain protein, Pit-1/GHF-1, is capable of binding to and activating cell-specific elements of both the growth hormone and prolactin gene promoters

Studies were conducted to determine whether the trans-acting protein Pit-1/GHF-1 can bind to and activate promoter elements in both the GH and PRL genes that are necessary for cell-specific expression. Four pituitary cell lines that differentially express the endogenous GH and PRL genes were examined for their ability to activate GH and PRL promoter constructs containing sequences necessary for cell-specific expression (CSEs). Plasmids containing one CSE, -96 PRL and -104 GH, were similarly expressed in each of the four cell lines. Of the plasmids containing two CSEs, -173 PRL was always activated to a greater extent than -145 GH, with this relative activation being stronger in GC and GH1 cells than in 235-1 and GH4C1 cells. Protein-DNA binding assays were used to show that the GH and PRL CSEs specifically bound two highly abundant nuclear proteins (31 and 33 kDa). The two proteins were present at similar levels in all four pituitary cell lines and were recognized by a Pit-1/GHF-1 antibody. In contrast, HeLa and Rat2 cells did not activate transfected GH or PRL plasmids and did not contain nuclear proteins that specifically bound to the GH and PRL CSEs. However, cotransfection of these cells with the expression vector RSV-Pit-1/GHF-1 resulted in the activation of -173 PRL and -145 GH (PRL greater than GH). HeLa cells transfected with RSV-Pit-1/GHF-1 also contained 31- and 33-kDa nuclear proteins that bound to the GH and PRL CSEs. These results show that Pit-1/GHF-1 is present at levels in pituitary cell lines that are sufficient to activate the minimal elements in both the GH and PRL promoters necessary for cell-specific expression of these genes.     

Cryptic human growth hormone gene sequences direct gonadotroph-specific expression in transgenic mice

Our laboratory reported previously that chimeric genes encoding either rat somatostatin (SS) or human GH (hGH), but containing the identical mouse metallothionein-I (MT) promoter/enhancer sequences and hGH 3'-flanking sequences, were selectively expressed in the gonadotrophs of transgenic mice. The experiments reported here were designed to identify the DNA sequences responsible for this unexpected cell-specific expression within the anterior pituitary. We produced new transgenic mice expressing fusion genes that tested separately the requirement of the MT or 3'-hGH sequences for gonadotroph expression. A fusion gene that retained the original MT and SS sequences, with a simian virus 40 polyadenylation signal exchanged for the 3'-hGH sequences, no longer directed strong pituitary expression, but was active in the liver. In contrast, a cytomegalovirus promoter/enhancer-SS-hGH fusion gene was expressed at the same high level in the anterior pituitaries of transgenic mice as the originally studied MT-SS-hGH gene. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that pituitary expression of the cytomegalovirus promoter/enhancer-SS-hGH fusion gene was also restricted to gonadotroph cells in adult mice. These studies indicate that sequences within the 3'-flanking region of the hGH gene can direct expression of chimeric genes to pituitary cells that do not normally produce growth hormone.