title: Phorbol ester stimulates corticotropin-releasing hormone gene promoter activity through a cAMP regulatory element in primary placental cells.
abstract: Placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) plays an important role in the mechanisms controlling human pregnancy and parturition, and several endogenous factors are known to regulate placental CRH gene expression. In this article, the authors investigate the regulation of the CRH gene's promoter activity by a protein kinase C (PKC) activator, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), in primary cultures of placental cells. The PMA stimulation of the CRH gene promoter activity was dose dependent, and further studies, including progressive deletion and mutation analysis of the CRH promoter, localized the region essential for PMA responsiveness to a consensus cyclic adenosine monophosphate regulatory element (CRE). Furthermore, estradiol treatment resulted in decreases of both basal and PMA-stimulated promoter activity when the CRE element was present but had no effect when the CRE element was absent. Thus, PMA stimulates CRH gene transcriptional activity through the CRE, suggesting that cross-talk between PKC and protein kinase A signaling pathways targets this regulatory element in placental cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.
authors.lastname: Yue Hou
authors.lastname: Xiaolu Tang
authors.forename: Richard C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.lastname: Xin Ni
mesh_terms: D024506:5' Flanking Region / Q000502:physiology; D002273:Carcinogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000235:genetics*; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010920:Placenta / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000502:physiology; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D002273:Carcinogens; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D004958:Estradiol; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate