Expression of the Rat Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone Gene in Placenta is Directed by an Alternative Promoter

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) is a hypothalamic peptide that plays a critical role in controlling the synthesis and secretion of growth hormone by the anterior pituitary. GHRH has also been detected in other nonneural extrahypothalamic tissues, including rat placenta, although its role in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1991-10, Vol.88 (19), p.8749-8753
Main Authors: Gonzalez-Crespo, Sergio, Boronat, Albert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Base Sequence
Biological and medical sciences
Cloning, Molecular
Complementary DNA
DNA - genetics
Exons
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gene Expression Regulation
Genes
Genes. Genome
Genomics
Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone - genetics
Hydrogen Bonding
Hypothalamus - physiology
Messenger RNA
Molecular and cellular biology
Molecular genetics
Molecular Sequence Data
Molecular Structure
Oligonucleotides - chemistry
Placenta
Placenta - physiology
Promoter regions
Promoter Regions, Genetic
Rats
Restriction Mapping
RNA
RNA Splicing
RNA, Messenger - genetics
RNA, Messenger - ultrastructure
Transcription, Genetic
Untranslated regions
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Summary:Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) is a hypothalamic peptide that plays a critical role in controlling the synthesis and secretion of growth hormone by the anterior pituitary. GHRH has also been detected in other nonneural extrahypothalamic tissues, including rat placenta, although its role in the hormonal control of pregnancy and/or fetal development has not yet been defined. Here we present the isolation and characterization of cDNA clones corresponding to rat placental GHRH. The placental GHRH mRNA codes for a pre-pro-GHRH identical to that found in the hypothalamus, suggesting that the mature placental GHRH is identical to its hypothalamic counterpart. Nevertheless, the placental and the hypothalamic GHRH mRNAs differ in the region corresponding to the untranslated exon 1 because of the use of an alternative promoter in the placenta located 10 kilobases upstream from the hypothalamic promoter. A combined mechanism involving the use of tissue-specific alternative promoters and the differential splicing of exon 1 generates the mature GHRH transcript in placenta and hypothalamus. Multiple transcription initiation sites have been found in the placental GHRH mRNA, which correlates to the lack of a consensus TATA box in the promoter region.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.88.19.8749