Regulation Of Prolactin Gene Transcription Research Articles

Metabolic syndrome associated with hyperprolactinemia: A new indication for dopamine agonist treatment?

In this issue of Endocrine, Inancli and co-authors presentthe manuscript ‘‘Effect of cabergoline on insulin sensitivity,inflammation, and carotid intima media thickness inpatients with prolactinoma’’ [1]. They found that cabergo-line treatment was associated with significant improve-ments in body mass index; total, HDL, and LDL-cholesterollevels and insulin sensitivity, also with a decrease in pro-inflammatory markers and carotid intima media thickness.Only the decrease in total and LDL-cholesterol showed apositive correlation with PRL levels. They concluded thatpatients with prolactinoma may have a higher vascular riskand cabergoline treatment may be associated with betterendothelial function [1].The human prolactin (PRL) is mainly produced bypituitary lactotrophs under inhibitory control of hypotha-lamic dopamine. The main and best-known effect of thePRL is the stimulation of lactogenesis and the maintenanceof lactation (galactopoiesis). However, PRL is also syn-thetized in extra-pituitary sites (decidua, myometrium,lymphocytes, and adipocytes) exerting several functions asa ‘‘metabolic hormone’’ [2–4].The human PRL gene is located on chromosome 6, hassix exons and two transcriptional start sites for extra-pitu-itary and for pituitary PRL. The regulation of PRL genetranscription is also different, requiring interaction withPit-1 at pituitary level and with several not well-knowntissue-specific factors for each extra-pituitary site [4].However, the final protein, PRL, is the same at pituitaryand extra-pituitary sites. In contrast with the pituitary PRLsecretion, the regulation of PRL extra-pituitary secretion islargely unknown.The PRL receptor is widely expressed in human bodyand mediates PRL actions by activation of JAK2/STAT5,PI3K, and MAPK pathways [4]. Regardless of its origin,PRL is able to interact with PRL receptors of any bodylocation. However, the mechanisms regulating the expres-sion of PRL receptor (and its different isoforms) in eachextra-pituitary tissue are basically unknown. This complexsystem could explain the absence of relationship betweencirculating PRL levels and some of the metabolic effects(mainly autocrine or paracrine) of PRL.The metabolic (extra-mammary gland) effects of PRLhave been reviewed elsewhere [2–5] and can be summa-rized as follows: (a) during the perinatal and postnatalperiods pancreatic islet cells development and insulinsecretion are promoted; (b) food intake and weight gainare also promoted; (c) adipogenesis inhibiting lipolysis isstimulated, which alters the release of adipokines includingleptin, adiponectin, and inter-leukin 6, promoting insulinresistance, hyper insulinemia, endothelial dysfunction, andmetabolic syndrome; (d) citrate production in prostaticcells is stimulated and finally, (e) the negative effects ofglucocorticoids on the immune system during stress arecounteracted [6].The appropriate treatment with dopamine agonists inpatients diagnosed with hyperprolactinemia have beenassociated with variable reduction in weight [1, 7], body fat[8], cardiovascular risk markers, cholesterol [1, 9–11], andendothelial dysfunction [1]. In patients with chronic kidney

Dopaminergic regulation of avian prolactin gene transcription.

It is well documented that prolactin (PRL) release and PRL gene expression in birds are controlled by the tonic stimulation of hypothalamic vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). However, there is good evidence that dopamine (DA) exerts both stimulatory (at the hypothalamic level) and inhibitory (at the pituitary level) effects on PRL secretion. The interactions between VIP and DA in the regulation of PRL gene transcription are not known. This study was designed to examine the effects of a D(2) DA receptor agonist (D(2)AG; R(-)-propylnorapomorphine HCl) on basal and VIP-stimulated PRL gene transcription rate, PRL mRNA steady-state levels, PRL mRNA stability and PRL release from cultured turkey anterior pituitary cells. The D(2)AG (10(-)(10) M) completely inhibited the stimulatory effect of VIP (10(-)(7) M) upon nascent PRL mRNA as determined utilizing a nuclear run-on transcription assay. To examine further the effect of the D(2)AG on PRL mRNA post-transcriptional events, anterior pituitary cells were treated with different concentrations of D(2)AG (10(-)(12)-10(-)(4) M). Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and RIA were performed to determine the levels of PRL mRNA and PRL content in the medium respectively. The results show that D(2)AG inhibited VIP-stimulated PRL mRNA steady-state levels as well as basal and VIP-stimulated PRL release, effects which were diminished by the D(2) DA receptor antagonist, S(-)-eticlopride HCl (10(-)(10) M). Actinomycin D (5 microg/ml), an inhibitor of mRNA synthesis, was used to assess the effect of D(2)AG on PRL mRNA stability in response to VIP. The stimulatory effect of VIP on PRL mRNA stability was completely negated by the D(2)AG (from a half-life of 53.0+/-2.3 h in VIP-treated cells to 25.5+/-1.6 h in D(2)AG+VIP-treated cells, P<or=0.05). These results support the hypothesis that VIP and DA play a major role in the regulation of PRL gene expression in avian species, at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. In addition, these findings suggest that the DAergic system inhibits PRL release and synthesis by antagonizing VIP at the pituitary level via D(2) DA receptors.

Calcitonin inhibits prolactin promoter activity in rat pituitary GGH3 cells: evidence for involvement of p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase in calcitonin action.

Previous findings from our laboratory have shown that pituitary calcitonin-like peptide (pit-CT) is synthesized and released by gonadotrophs and inhibits prolactin (PRL) release, synthesis, and lactotroph proliferation. To investigate further the regulation of PRL gene transcription by CT, we examined the effect of CT on rat PRL (rPRL) promoter activity in rat pituitary GGH3 cells. GGH3 cells were transiently transfected with rPRL promoter- luciferase and control plasmids. Thirty-six hours later, the cells were treated with CT or other agents and their effect on luciferase activity was examined. The effect of CT and/or thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) on p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity was also investigated. CT inhibited basal rPRL promoter activity in a dose-dependent fashion, with an approximate IC(50) of 3 nM. The maximal inhibition occurred 1 h after the CT addition, and the peptide was equipotent in inhibiting 600 and 2500 rPRL promoter constructs. CT also inhibited TRH-, Bay K 8644-, and ionomycin-induced rPRL promoter activity. CT mimicked the actions of MEK inhibitors U0126 and PD 980089. However, CT could not inhibit rPRL promoter activity in GGH3 cells expressing constitutively active ERK1 or ERK2. CT markedly attenuated phospho-MAPK immunoreactivity in untreated as well as TRH-treated GGH3 cells. These results suggest that CT inhibits rPRL promoter activity by antagonizing Ca(2+) and ERK1/2-mediated signaling events. They also demonstrate that CT is a potent inhibitor of early events associated with PRL gene activation and may play an important role in regulation of lactotroph function.

Selective Inhibition of Prolactin Gene Transcription by the ETS-2 Repressor Factor

Regulation of prolactin gene transcription requires cooperative interactions between the pituitary-specific POU domain protein Pit-1 and members of the ETS transcription factor family. We demonstrate here that the ETS-2 repressor factor (ERF) is expressed in pituitary tumor cells and that overexpression of recombinant ERF inhibits prolactin promoter activity, but not the closely related growth hormone promoter. In non-pituitary cell lines, coexpression of ERF disrupts the cooperative interactions between Pit-1 and ETS-1 and blocks the induction of Pit-1-dependent prolactin promoter activity by cAMP. The potential role of ERF in the inhibitory response of the prolactin promoter to dopamine was examined using pituitary tumor cells stably expressing dopamine D2 receptors. The inhibitory responses of the prolactin promoter to ERF and dopamine are additive, suggesting that ERF has a complementary role in this hormonal response. A single Pit-1 DNA-binding element from the prolactin promoter is sufficient to reconstitute the inhibitory response to ERF. DNA binding analysis using either a composite Pit-1/ETS protein-binding site or a Pit-1 element with no known affinity for ETS proteins revealed that ERF interferes with Pit-1 binding. Together, these results demonstrate that ERF is a specific inhibitor of basal and hormone-regulated transcription of the prolactin gene and suggest a new level of complexity for the interaction of ETS factors with Pit-1 target genes.

17β-estradiol inhibits the production of dopamine by the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons of the male rat

Previous work in our laboratory suggests that the indirect stimulation of prolactin gene transcription observed in male rats between 3 and 6 h following estrogen injection results from an inhibition of dopamine release from the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons. To evaluate further the role of dopamine in the regulation of prolactin gene transcription by estrogens, we have examined the acute effects of 17β-estradiol (E 2) on dihydroxyphenylalanine accumulation in the arcuate median eminence region and the amount of dopamine associated with the arcuate median eminence region. Dihydroxyphenylalanine accumulation in the arcuate median eminence region was unaffected when examined 2 h following a single injection of E 2 (10 μg), and was reduced by 60% when examined 4 h following E 2 treatment. When examined 4 h after E 2 injection, dopamine content in the arcuate median eminence region was significantly increased. These data suggest that estrogens exert acute inhibitory effects on the tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons of the male rat, and further support the assertion that the indirect stimulatory actions of estrogens on prolactin gene transcription result from inhibition of hypothalamic dopamine production.

Identification of the functional components of the Ras signaling pathway regulating pituitary cell-specific gene expression.

Ras, a small GTP-binding protein, is required for functional receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. Ultimately, Ras alters the activity of specific nuclear transcription factors and regulates novel patterns of gene expression. Using a rat prolactin promoter construct in transient transfection experiments, we show that both oncogenic Ras and activated forms of Raf-1 kinase selectively stimulated the cellular rat prolactin promoter in GH4 rat pituitary cells. We also show that the Ras signal is completely blocked by an expression vector encoding a dominant-negative Raf kinase. Additionally, using a molecular genetic approach, we determined that inhibitory forms of p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and an Ets-2 transcription factor interfere with both the Ras and the Raf activation of the rat prolactin promoter. These findings define a functional requirement for these signaling constituents in the activation of the prolactin gene, a cell-specific gene which marks the lactotroph pituitary cell type. Further, this analysis allowed us to order the components in the Ras signaling pathway as it impinges on regulation of prolactin gene transcription as Ras-->Raf kinase-->mitogen-activated protein kinase-->Ets. In contrast, we show that intact c-Jun expression inhibited the Ras-induced activation of the prolactin promoter, defining it as a negative regulator of this pathway, whereas c-Jun was able to enhance the Ras activation of an AP-1-driven promoter in GH4 cells. These data show that c-Jun is not the nuclear mediator of the Ras signal for the highly specialized, pituitary cell-specific prolactin cellular promoter. Thus, we have defined a model system which provides an ideal paradigm for studying Ras/Raf signaling pathways and their effects on neuroendocrine cell-specific gene regulation.

Identification of the functional components of the Ras signaling pathway regulating pituitary cell-specific gene expression.

Ras, a small GTP-binding protein, is required for functional receptor tyrosine kinase signaling. Ultimately, Ras alters the activity of specific nuclear transcription factors and regulates novel patterns of gene expression. Using a rat prolactin promoter construct in transient transfection experiments, we show that both oncogenic Ras and activated forms of Raf-1 kinase selectively stimulated the cellular rat prolactin promoter in GH4 rat pituitary cells. We also show that the Ras signal is completely blocked by an expression vector encoding a dominant-negative Raf kinase. Additionally, using a molecular genetic approach, we determined that inhibitory forms of p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase and an Ets-2 transcription factor interfere with both the Ras and the Raf activation of the rat prolactin promoter. These findings define a functional requirement for these signaling constituents in the activation of the prolactin gene, a cell-specific gene which marks the lactotroph pituitary cell type. Further, this analysis allowed us to order the components in the Ras signaling pathway as it impinges on regulation of prolactin gene transcription as Ras-->Raf kinase-->mitogen-activated protein kinase-->Ets. In contrast, we show that intact c-Jun expression inhibited the Ras-induced activation of the prolactin promoter, defining it as a negative regulator of this pathway, whereas c-Jun was able to enhance the Ras activation of an AP-1-driven promoter in GH4 cells. These data show that c-Jun is not the nuclear mediator of the Ras signal for the highly specialized, pituitary cell-specific prolactin cellular promoter. Thus, we have defined a model system which provides an ideal paradigm for studying Ras/Raf signaling pathways and their effects on neuroendocrine cell-specific gene regulation.

Differential regulation of protein kinase C isozymes by thyrotropin-releasing hormone in GH4C1 cells.

GH4C1 cells, which express Ca(2+)-dependent alpha- and beta- as well as Ca(2+)-independent gamma-, epsilon- and zeta-protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes, provide a cell culture model for studying isozyme-specific properties and functions. Hormonal activation of PKCs regulates the differentiated functions of these cells, namely secretion and synthesis of prolactin (PRL). We previously reported that thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) selectively down-modulates epsilon-PKC with no effect on alpha- or beta-PKCs (Kiley, S.C., Schaap, D., Parker, P., Hsieh, L.-L., and Jaken, S. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 15704-15712). We now extend those studies to explore the relationship between TRH-stimulated diacylglycerol (DAG) levels and epsilon-PKC down-modulation. TRH stimulates three distinct DAG phases in GH cells. Phase 1 DAG peaks at 15 s, is accompanied by a 6-fold increase in intracellular Ca2+, and causes the redistribution of alpha-, beta-, delta, and epsilon-PKC isozymes from a soluble to a detergent-insoluble particulate compartment. Phase 2 DAG peaks at 10 min, is not associated with a Ca2+ signal, and does not activate PKC by any criteria tested. Phase 3 DAG peaks at 6 h and is sustained through 12 h. This novel DAG phase is not associated with increased intracellular Ca2+. The time course of phase 3 DAG formation corresponds to the time course of TRH-stimulated epsilon-PKC down-regulation; maximal effects are observed at 6-12 h for both events. Unlike alpha-, beta-, and delta-PKCs which are preferentially distributed in the soluble fraction of resting GH cells, epsilon-PKC is also distributed in the detergent-insoluble particulate fraction. The selective compartmentalization of epsilon-PKC in the particulate fraction may render this pool uniquely susceptible to proteolytic degradation. The time course of phase 3 DAG formation and epsilon-PKC down-modulation corresponds to the time course of decreasing PRL message synthesis in GH4 cells. The data suggests that loss of epsilon-PKC may be associated with the down-regulation of prolactin synthesis and that regulation of PRL gene transcription may be an epsilon-PKC-specific function in GH cells.

A Protein Kinase Inhibitor Gene Reduces Both Basal and Multihormone-stimulated Prolactin Gene Transcription

The possible role of the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase in mediating the regulation of prolactin gene transcription has been investigated through the use of a synthetic gene encoding the heat-stable inhibitor of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. To assess the effects of protein kinase inhibitor expression on cAMP induction of prolactin gene transcription, a marker gene containing the rat prolactin promoter and adjacent 5'-flanking sequences linked to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene was cotransfected with a protein kinase inhibitor-expression vector. The results demonstrate that the protein kinase inhibitor-expression vector reduced both basal and cAMP-stimulated expression of the cotransfected prolactin-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene. A mutant protein kinase inhibitor-expression vector, coding for an inactive inhibitor protein, did not inhibit basal or cAMP-stimulated prolactin gene transcription. Furthermore, the protein kinase inhibitor-expression vector did not inhibit zinc induction of the metallothionein promoter. Analysis of protein kinase activity in transfected cells demonstrated that the protein kinase inhibitor expression vector reduced cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity but did not reduce protein kinase C activity. Nuclease protection experiments confirmed that the effects of the inhibitor vector involved changes in correctly initiated transcripts produced from the prolactin promoter. Surprisingly, the protein kinase inhibitor-expression vector reduced the effects of several different agents including epidermal growth factor, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, phorbol esters, and estrogen on prolactin gene expression to the same extent as it altered cAMP effects.

Preferential Role of Calcium in the Regulation of Prolactin Gene Transcription by Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone in GH3Pituitary Cells*

TRH induces two separate events in pituitary PRL cells. It increases the release of stored PRL and enhances the rate of PRL gene transcription, which results in an increased steady state concentration of PRL messenger RNA (mRNA) and a concomitant augmentation of PRL production. The mechanisms underlying the release process involve the activation of phosphatidylinositol turnover which generates inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and 1,2-diacylglycerol. In order to determine whether these intracellular messengers also mediate the stimulation of PRL gene expression by TRH, we have correlated the level of receptor occupancy with the rate of gene transcription and investigated the action of drugs which increase cytosolic calcium or activate protein kinase C. We have determined that sustained stimulation of transcription requires the persistent occupancy of a limited number of TRH receptor sites and that the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), calcium ionophores (A23187, ionomycin), and the calcium channel agonist BAY K 8644 enhance PRL gene transcription. However, TPA is less potent and ionomycin requires a low concentration of TPA to fully mimic TRH action, whereas BAY K 8644 alone displays the same potency as TRH. The effects of BAY K 8644 and TRH are not additive and thus suggest that the influx of calcium plays a predominant role in the regulation of PRL gene transcription by TRH.

Identification of an estrogen-responsive element from the 5'-flanking region of the rat prolactin gene.

The DNA sequences which interact with the estrogen receptor and which mediate the estrogenic regulation of prolactin gene transcription have been investigated by the use of receptor-DNA-binding experiments and gene transfer studies. Nitrocellulose filter binding assays using highly purified estrogen receptor and cloned fragments of the 5'-flanking region of the rat prolactin gene demonstrate that the receptor selectively binds to DNA sequences located between nucleotides -1713 and -1532 with respect to the transcription initiation site. The binding of the estrogen receptor to this region of the prolactin gene was strongly dependent on receptor concentration, suggesting that receptor dimers may be important in DNA binding. These data demonstrate that the selective binding of purified estrogen receptor to specific sequences of the rat prolactin gene is an intrinsic property of the receptor and is not due to the interaction of receptor with other proteins. The role of specific prolactin gene sequences in mediating the estrogenic regulation of prolactin gene transcription was confirmed by the use of prolactin-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase fusion genes. These studies demonstrated that sequences upstream of position -1532 are required for estrogen responsiveness. Furthermore, the region of the prolactin gene at -1713 to -1495 was able to confer estrogen responsiveness on the thymidine kinase promoter. Exonuclease III protection experiments further localized the receptor-binding sequences to positions -1587 to -1563. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence of the region of the prolactin gene which binds the estrogen receptor with the sequence of other estrogen-responsive genes suggested the presence of the conserved sequence [sequence in text], which shows similarity to sequences thought to mediate glucocorticoid receptor effects on transcription.

Analysis of 5' flanking sequences and intron-exon boundaries of the rat prolactin gene.

A rat genomic DNA clone containing the 5’ flanking region, three exons, two introns, and a portion of a third intron of the rat prolactin gene was isolated and characterized. Sequence determinations were used to identify the exon-intron boundaries and analyze the DNA region upstream from the initiator methionine codon. Another genomic DNA clone that we previously characterized (Gubbins, E. J., Maurer, R. A., Lagrimini, M., Erwin, C. R., and Donelson, J. E. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 255, 8655-8662) contains two additional exons and the 3’ flanking region of the prolactin gene. These five exons account for the complete coding sequence of rat preprolactin. Their relative locations in the two genomic DNA clones indicate that the five exons and four intervening sequences (introns) of the rat prolactin gene comprise approximately 10 kilobases of DNA. The sequence at the Intron A-Exon I1 boundary was found to contain two separate splicing sites offset by three nucleotides. These two splicing sites can explain a discrepancy of one codon in two published preprolactin cDNA sequences. The 5’ terminus of prolactin mRNA was mapped using the S1 nuclease protection procedure. The results suggest that transcription is initiated 54 nucleotides upstream from the initiator methionine codon. Analysis of the sequence preceding this site reveals (i) the sequence TATAAA at positions -21 to -22 which, by analogy with other systems, is likely involved in initiation of prolactin gene transcription and (ii) the palindrome, TGATTATATATATATTCA, at positions -62 to -45 which may be a site involved in the regulation of prolactin gene transcription.