title: Differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells induces progesterone receptor gene expression.
abstract: The role of steroid hormone receptors in very early embryonic development remains unknown. Clearly, expression during organogenesis is important for tissue-specific development. However, progesterone receptor (PR) and estrogen receptors (ERalpha, ERbeta) are expressed during early development through the blastocyst stage in mice and other species, and yet are not essential for embryonic viability. We have utilized the mouse embryonic stem (mES) cell model to investigate the regulated expression of these receptors during differentiation. Surprisingly, one of the earliest changes in gene expression in response to a differentiation signal observed is PR gene induction. It parallels the time course of expression for the patterning genes Hoxb1 and Hoxa5. Unexpectedly, PR gene expression is not regulated in an estrogen-dependent manner by endogenous ERs or by transiently overexpressed ERalpha. Our results suggest a potentially novel mechanism of PR gene regulation within mES cells compared to adult tissues and the possibility of unique targets of PR action during early mES cell differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1300 University Ave., MSC 5250, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Carley N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Sauter
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: McDermid
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Weinberg
authors.forename: Tamara L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Greco
authors.forename: Xiaojie
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Fern E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Murdoch
authors.forename: Michael K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Fritsch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000166:cytology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000172:deficiency; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: C101121:HOXB1 homeodomain protein; C489126:HOXB5 protein, human; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D015850:Interleukin-6; C507837:LIF protein, human; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; C507838:Lif protein, mouse; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone