title: Transcription factors ER71/ETV2 and SOX9 participate in a positive feedback loop in fetal and adult mouse testis.
abstract: ER71, also known as ETV2, is an ETS transcription factor that is expressed during embryogenesis and in adult testes. We show that Er71 transcription can be up-regulated by SRY, the key determinant of male differentiation. Accordingly, SRY bound to and activated the Er71 promoter, and mutation of a putative SRY binding site abolished this promoter activation. In turn, ER71 was able to bind to the promoter of Sox9, the primary target of SRY and a critical transcription factor for maintenance of the Sertoli cell phenotype. Mutation of the ER71 binding site in the Sox9 promoter suppressed ER71-dependent up-regulation of Sox9 transcription, and a dominant-negative ER71 molecule severely reduced Sox9 transcription in a Sertoli cell line. Conversely, SOX9 bound the Er71 promoter in vivo and Sox9 down-regulation reduced Er71 transcript levels. Together, these data suggest a mechanism by which SRY induces Sox9 and Er71 transcription early in testis differentiation, whereas ER71 and SOX9 participate in an autoregulatory loop to sustain each other's expression after Sry expression has subsided in mice. Thereby, ER71 and SOX9 may affect late testis development as well as the function of the adult male gonad.
authors.affiliation: Salk Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: DiTacchio
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bowles
authors.forename: Sook
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Dae-Sik
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koopman
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Janknecht
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D025461:Feedback, Physiological; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011485:Protein Binding; D034622:RNA Interference; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D051876:Sex-Determining Region Y Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D013737:Testis / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C503994:ER71 protein, mouse; D055758:SOX9 Transcription Factor; D051876:Sex-Determining Region Y Protein; C527933:Sox9 protein, mouse; C497746:Sry protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors