Endocrinology, Vol 136, 1502-1508, Copyright © 1995 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Presence of a spermatogenic-specific promoter in the rat growth hormone- releasing hormone gene

CH Srivastava, BS Monts, JK Rothrock, MJ Peredo and OH Pescovitz
Section of Endocrinology/Diabetology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis 46202-5225.

A GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) messenger RNA (mRNA) has been identified in hypothalamus, placenta, and testicular germ cells. The GHRH mRNA produced by spermatogenic cells is approximately 1700 nucleotides in length, whereas GHRH transcripts in hypothalamus and placenta are 750 nucleotides. To correlate the structure of testicular GHRH mRNA with cell type-specific expression, we determined its sequence. A GHRH clone isolated from a rat testicular complementary DNA library was found to be identical in the coding sequence to hypothalamic GHRH. Rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends analysis of the 5'-end of germ cell GHRH mRNA and comparison with the genomic sequence revealed that GHRH transcription in testis initiates approximately 700 basepairs 5' to transcription initiation in placenta and 10.7 kilobasepairs 5' to that in hypothalamus. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis of germ cell RNA using primers from testicular exons 1 and 4 demonstrated that part of the placental exon 1 sequence is contained in some testicular GHRH transcripts, as an extra exon, between testicular exon 1 and the common exon 2. This was confirmed by a Northern blot of testicular mRNA using a testicular exon 1 probe. The 5'-flanking region of the testicular GHRH gene was analyzed and found to contain a TATA- like motif and sequences homologous to spermatogenic-specific cis- acting elements. Southern blot analysis of rat liver DNA suggested that just one GHRH gene is present in rat. These results indicate that both alternative transcription initiation and splicing of the GHRH gene exist in rat testicular germ cells.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. Siriwardana, A. Bradford, D. Coy, and P. Zeitler Autocrine/Paracrine Regulation of Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation by Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone via Ras, Raf, and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Mol. Endocrinol., September 1, 2006; 20(9): 2010 - 2019. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. R. Le Tissier, D. F. Carmignac, S. Lilley, A. K. Sesay, C. J. Phelps, P. Houston, K. Mathers, C. Magoulas, D. Ogden, and I. C. A. F. Robinson Hypothalamic Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone (GHRH) Deficiency: Targeted Ablation of GHRH Neurons in Mice Using a Viral Ion Channel Transgene Mol. Endocrinol., May 1, 2005; 19(5): 1251 - 1262. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Asai, Y. Iwasaki, M. Yoshida, N. Mutsuga-Nakayama, H. Arima, M. Ito, K. Takano, and Y. Oiso Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells (NFAT) Is Involved in the Depolarization-Induced Activation of Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Gene Transcription in Vitro Mol. Endocrinol., December 1, 2004; 18(12): 3011 - 3019. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. M. Sherwood, S. L. Krueckl, and J. E. McRory The Origin and Function of the Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide (PACAP)/Glucagon Superfamily Endocr. Rev., December 1, 2000; 21(6): 619 - 670. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				S. Fang, R. Steinmetz, D. W. King, P. Zeng, C. Vogelweid, S. Cooper, G. Hangcoc, H. E. Broxmeyer, and O. H. Pescovitz Development of a Transgenic Mouse That Overexpresses a Novel Product of the Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Gene Endocrinology, April 1, 2000; 141(4): 1377 - 1383. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. B. Daniel and J. F. Habener Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide Gene Expression Regulated by a Testis-Specific Promoter in Germ Cells during Spermatogenesis Endocrinology, March 1, 2000; 141(3): 1218 - 1227. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Wallace, B. Dass, S. E. Ravnik, V. Tonk, N. A. Jenkins, D. J. Gilbert, N. G. Copeland, and C. C. MacDonald Two distinct forms of the 64,000 Mr protein of the cleavage stimulation factor are expressed in mouse male germ cells PNAS, June 8, 1999; 96(12): 6763 - 6768. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Gnessi, A. Fabbri, and G. Spera Gonadal Peptides as Mediators of Development and Functional Control of the Testis: An Integrated System with Hormones and Local Environment Endocr. Rev., August 1, 1997; 18(4): 541 - 609. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. Nogues, J. A. Del RIo, M. Perez-Riba, E. Soriano, R. A. Flavell, and A. Boronat Placenta-Specific Expression of the Rat Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Gene Promoter in Transgenic Mice Endocrinology, August 1, 1997; 138(8): 3222 - 3227. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]