cDNA cloning and developmental alterations in gene expression of the two Pit-1/GHF-1 transcription factors in the chicken pituitary.
Pit-1/GHF-1 (Pit-1) transcription factors promote the gene expressions for growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), and the beta chain of thyroid-stimulating hormone in vertebrate pituitary glands. The present study analyzed the nature of chicken Pit-1s (cPit-1s) and their developmental expressions in the pituitary. Chicken pituitary expressed two cPit-1 mRNAs encoding cPit-1alpha and cPit-1gamma composed of 335 and 327 amino acid residues, respectively. They possessed different N-terminal regions and the common C-terminal regions containing a POU-specific domain and a POU homeodomain. Northern blot analysis revealed the pituitary-specific expressions of these Pit-1 mRNAs, and the Pit-1alpha mRNA expressions were two to three times higher than those for Pit-1gamma in both cephalic and caudal lobes of the pituitary. The cPit-1alpha and gamma mRNA expressions simultaneously increased after hatching until 4 weeks and then slightly decreased at 5 weeks. Similar gene expression profiles were observed for GH and PRL during the posthatch developmental period.
Tanaka
M
M
Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Bioresources, Center for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Mie University, 2-174 Edobashi, Tsu, Mie, 514-8507, Japan.
Yamamoto
I
I
Ohkubo
T
T
Wakita
M
M
Hoshino
S
S
Nakashima
K
K
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002645:Chickens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D050817:Transcription Factor Pit-1; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D050817:Transcription Factor Pit-1; D014157:Transcription Factors