title: Regulation of Fgf10 gene expression in the prostate: identification of transforming growth factor-beta1 and promoter elements.
abstract: Fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) is a mesenchymal paracrine-acting factor that plays a key role in the organogenesis of the prostate, and Fgf10 transcripts exhibit a highly restricted expression pattern within prostatic mesenchyme. To study the regulation of Fgf10 we have used organ rudiments grown in vitro as well as a primary stromal cell system derived from the ventral mesenchymal pad (VMP), a condensed area of mesenchyme known to induce prostatic organogenesis. Characterization of VMP cells (VMPCs) showed that they retained expression of AR as well as transcripts for FGF10 and TGFbeta1, -2, and -3. We propose that VMPCs are a good model of specialized mesenchyme involved in prostatic organogenesis and are distinct from general urogenital sinus mesenchyme/stroma. Treatment of VMPCs with TGFbeta1 resulted in a rapid and transient decrease in Fgf10 transcript levels, which were reduced 9-fold at 3 h. TGFbeta1 also inhibited Fgf10 expression in VMP organ rudiments grown in vitro. To further analyze Fgf10 regulation, 6 kb of mouse genomic sequence 5' to the translation start site was characterized by promoter analysis. Deletion analysis of the Fgf10 promoter in VMPCs identified a region of the promoter that mediated a significant proportion of promoter activity as well as mediating promoter down-regulation by TGFbeta1. This element was located between nucleotides -182 and -172 and contained a consensus Sp1 binding site. Taken together, our data suggest that TGFbeta1 is a regulator of Fgf10 expression in prostatic mesenchyme and that a proximal element within the Fgf10 promoter plays an important role in its regulation and expression.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council Human Reproductive Sciences Unit, Centre for Reproductive Biology, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Darren C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
authors.forename: Justin C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Grindley
authors.forename: Axel A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Thomson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D051526:Fibroblast Growth Factor 10; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011467:Prostate / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1
chemical_list: C496465:Fgf10 protein, rat; D051526:Fibroblast Growth Factor 10; C508961:Tgfb1 protein, mouse; C508962:Tgfb1 protein, rat; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors