title: Steroid-involved transcriptional regulation of human genes encoding prostatic acid phosphatase, prostate-specific antigen, and prostate-specific glandular kallikrein.
abstract: We have compared the steroid regulation of human genes encoding prostatic acid phosphatase (hPAP), prostate-specific antigen (hPSA), and prostate-specific glandular kallikrein (hK2) at the level of transcription. Reporter constructs of hPAP promoter covering the region -734/+467 were functional in both prostatic (LNCaP and PC-3) and nonprostatic (CV-1) cell lines in transient transfections. hPAP -231/+50 with eight identified transcription factor-binding sites showed the highest, and hPAP -734/+467 showed the lowest transcriptional activity in CV-1 cells. The hPAP promoter could not be induced with androgen, glucocorticoid, or progesterone, contrary to the hPSA (-620/+40) and hK2 (-493/+27) promoters in PC-3 cells cotransfected with the respective steroid receptor expression vector. Therefore, steroids cannot directly regulate hPAP gene expression via receptor binding to steroid response elements at -178 and +336, which have been shown to have androgen receptor-binding ability in vitro. Glucocorticoid was the most powerful activator of the hPSA construct at 10-nM steroid concentrations. On the contrary, glucocorticoid stimulation of the transcriptional activity of the hK2 construct was the weakest among the tested steroids. The results indicate that the steroid response elements in the proximal promoters of hPSA and hK2 genes are not androgen specific, offering the molecular basis for the expression of these genes outside the prostate in tissues containing steroid receptors.
authors.affiliation: Biocenter Oulu, World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Research in Human Reproduction and Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Porvari
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruokonen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karhu
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Launonen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hedberg
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oikarinen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vihko
mesh_terms: D000135:Acid Phosphatase / Q000235:genetics*; D000728:Androgens / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics; D018983:DNA Footprinting; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011467:Prostate / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000378:metabolism; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D013256:Steroids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D013256:Steroids; D011374:Progesterone; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; D000135:Acid Phosphatase; D007610:Kallikreins; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen