Pod-1/Capsulin shows a sex- and stage-dependent expression pattern in the mouse gonad development and represses expression of Ad4BP/SF-1.
Mammalian sex-determination and differentiation are controlled by several genes, such as Sry, Sox-9, Dax-1 and Mullerian inhibiting substance (MIS), but their upstream and downstream genes are largely unknown. Ad4BP/SF-1, encoding a zinc finger transcription factor, plays important roles in gonadogenesis. Disruption of this gene caused disappearance of the urogenital system including the gonad. Ad4BP/SF-1, however, is also involved in the sex differentiation of the gonad at later stages, such as the regulation of steroid hormones and MIS. Pod-1/Capsulin, a member of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, is expressed in a pattern closely related but mostly complimentary to that of the Ad4BP/SF-1 expression in the developing gonad. In the co-transfection experiment using cultured cells, overexpression of Pod-1/Capsulin repressed expression of a reporter gene that carried the upstream regulatory region of the Ad4BP/SF-1 gene. Furthermore, forced expression of Pod-1/Capsulin repressed expression of Ad4BP/SF-1 in the Leydig cell-derived I-10 cells. These results suggest that Pod-1/Capsulin may play important roles in the development and sex differentiation of the mammalian gonad via transcriptional regulation of Ad4BP/SF-1.
Tamura
M
M
Mammalian Development Laboratory, Genetic Strains Research Center, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan.
Kanno
Y
Y
Chuma
S
S
Saito
T
T
Nakatsuji
N
N
D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D051717:Fushi Tarazu Transcription Factors; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006066:Gonads / Q000378:metabolism*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D019849:Sex Determination Processes; D012737:Sex Factors; D054339:Steroidogenic Factor 1; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000502:physiology*; D014162:Transfection
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051717:Fushi Tarazu Transcription Factors; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D054339:Steroidogenic Factor 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; C112923:Tcf21 protein, mouse