Skip to main content
The EMBO Journal logoLink to The EMBO Journal
. 1990 May;9(5):1603–1614. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1990.tb08280.x

Two distinct estrogen-regulated promoters generate transcripts encoding the two functionally different human progesterone receptor forms A and B.

P Kastner 1, A Krust 1, B Turcotte 1, U Stropp 1, L Tora 1, H Gronemeyer 1, P Chambon 1
PMCID: PMC551856  PMID: 2328727

Abstract

The human progesterone receptor (hPR) cDNA, synthesized from T47D breast cancer cells, and the hPR gene 5'-flanking region were cloned and sequenced. Comparison of the cDNA-deduced amino acid sequence with other PR homologues demonstrated the modular structure characteristic of nuclear receptors. As in the case of the chicken homologue, there are two hPR forms, A and B, which originate from translational initiation at AUG2 (codon 165) and AUG1, respectively. Northern blot analysis of T47D mRNA using various cDNA derived probes identified two classes of hPR mRNAs, one of which could code for hPR form B, while the other one lacked the 5' region upstream of AUG1. S1 nuclease mapping and primer extension analyses confirmed that the second class of hPR transcripts are initiated between +737 and +842 and thus encode hPR form A, but not form B. By using the hPR gene 5'-flanking sequences as promoter region in chimeric genes, we show that a functional promoter (located between -711 and +31) directs initiation of hPR mRNAs from the authentic start sites located at +1 and +15. Most importantly, initiation of transcription from chimeric genes demonstrated the existence of a second promoter located between +464 and +1105. Transient co-transfection experiments with vectors expressing the human estrogen receptor showed that both promoters were estrogen inducible, although no classical estrogen responsive element was detected in the corresponding sequences. When transiently expressed, the two hPR forms similarly activated transcription from reporter genes containing a single palindromic progestin responsive element (PRE), while form B was more efficient at activating the PRE of the mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat. Transcription from the ovalbumin promoter, however, was induced by hPR form A, but not by form B.

Full text

PDF
1603

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Banerji J., Rusconi S., Schaffner W. Expression of a beta-globin gene is enhanced by remote SV40 DNA sequences. Cell. 1981 Dec;27(2 Pt 1):299–308. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90413-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beato M. Gene regulation by steroid hormones. Cell. 1989 Feb 10;56(3):335–344. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90237-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Berry M., Nunez A. M., Chambon P. Estrogen-responsive element of the human pS2 gene is an imperfectly palindromic sequence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Feb;86(4):1218–1222. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.4.1218. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brown A. M., Jeltsch J. M., Roberts M., Chambon P. Activation of pS2 gene transcription is a primary response to estrogen in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Oct;81(20):6344–6348. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.20.6344. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Carlson M., Botstein D. Two differentially regulated mRNAs with different 5' ends encode secreted with intracellular forms of yeast invertase. Cell. 1982 Jan;28(1):145–154. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90384-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cato A. C., Miksicek R., Schütz G., Arnemann J., Beato M. The hormone regulatory element of mouse mammary tumour virus mediates progesterone induction. EMBO J. 1986 Sep;5(9):2237–2240. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04490.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chevrier D., Vézina C., Bastille J., Linard C., Sonenberg N., Boileau G. Higher order structures of the 5'-proximal region decrease the efficiency of translation of the porcine pro-opiomelanocortin mRNA. J Biol Chem. 1988 Jan 15;263(2):902–910. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Chirgwin J. M., Przybyla A. E., MacDonald R. J., Rutter W. J. Isolation of biologically active ribonucleic acid from sources enriched in ribonuclease. Biochemistry. 1979 Nov 27;18(24):5294–5299. doi: 10.1021/bi00591a005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Conneely O. M., Dobson A. D., Tsai M. J., Beattie W. G., Toft D. O., Huckaby C. S., Zarucki T., Schrader W. T., O'Malley B. W. Sequence and expression of a functional chicken progesterone receptor. Mol Endocrinol. 1987 Aug;1(8):517–525. doi: 10.1210/mend-1-8-517. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Conneely O. M., Kettelberger D. M., Tsai M. J., Schrader W. T., O'Malley B. W. The chicken progesterone receptor A and B isoforms are products of an alternate translation initiation event. J Biol Chem. 1989 Aug 25;264(24):14062–14064. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Conneely O. M., Maxwell B. L., Toft D. O., Schrader W. T., O'Malley B. W. The A and B forms of the chicken progesterone receptor arise by alternate initiation of translation of a unique mRNA. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1987 Dec 16;149(2):493–501. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(87)90395-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Danielsen M., Hinck L., Ringold G. M. Two amino acids within the knuckle of the first zinc finger specify DNA response element activation by the glucocorticoid receptor. Cell. 1989 Jun 30;57(7):1131–1138. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90050-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Eul J., Meyer M. E., Tora L., Bocquel M. T., Quirin-Stricker C., Chambon P., Gronemeyer H. Expression of active hormone and DNA-binding domains of the chicken progesterone receptor in E. coli. EMBO J. 1989 Jan;8(1):83–90. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1989.tb03351.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Evans R. M. The steroid and thyroid hormone receptor superfamily. Science. 1988 May 13;240(4854):889–895. doi: 10.1126/science.3283939. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Freedman L. P., Luisi B. F., Korszun Z. R., Basavappa R., Sigler P. B., Yamamoto K. R. The function and structure of the metal coordination sites within the glucocorticoid receptor DNA binding domain. Nature. 1988 Aug 11;334(6182):543–546. doi: 10.1038/334543a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Godowski P. J., Picard D., Yamamoto K. R. Signal transduction and transcriptional regulation by glucocorticoid receptor-LexA fusion proteins. Science. 1988 Aug 12;241(4867):812–816. doi: 10.1126/science.3043662. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Gorman C. M., Moffat L. F., Howard B. H. Recombinant genomes which express chloramphenicol acetyltransferase in mammalian cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1982 Sep;2(9):1044–1051. doi: 10.1128/mcb.2.9.1044. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Green S., Chambon P. Nuclear receptors enhance our understanding of transcription regulation. Trends Genet. 1988 Nov;4(11):309–314. doi: 10.1016/0168-9525(88)90108-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Green S., Issemann I., Sheer E. A versatile in vivo and in vitro eukaryotic expression vector for protein engineering. Nucleic Acids Res. 1988 Jan 11;16(1):369–369. doi: 10.1093/nar/16.1.369. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Green S., Kumar V., Theulaz I., Wahli W., Chambon P. The N-terminal DNA-binding 'zinc finger' of the oestrogen and glucocorticoid receptors determines target gene specificity. EMBO J. 1988 Oct;7(10):3037–3044. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1988.tb03168.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Green S., Walter P., Kumar V., Krust A., Bornert J. M., Argos P., Chambon P. Human oestrogen receptor cDNA: sequence, expression and homology to v-erb-A. Nature. 1986 Mar 13;320(6058):134–139. doi: 10.1038/320134a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Gronemeyer H., Turcotte B., Quirin-Stricker C., Bocquel M. T., Meyer M. E., Krozowski Z., Jeltsch J. M., Lerouge T., Garnier J. M., Chambon P. The chicken progesterone receptor: sequence, expression and functional analysis. EMBO J. 1987 Dec 20;6(13):3985–3994. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb02741.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Groudine M., Peretz M., Weintraub H. Transcriptional regulation of hemoglobin switching in chicken embryos. Mol Cell Biol. 1981 Mar;1(3):281–288. doi: 10.1128/mcb.1.3.281. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Ham J., Parker M. G. Regulation of gene expression by nuclear hormone receptors. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1989 Jun;1(3):503–511. doi: 10.1016/0955-0674(89)90012-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Herbomel P., Bourachot B., Yaniv M. Two distinct enhancers with different cell specificities coexist in the regulatory region of polyoma. Cell. 1984 Dec;39(3 Pt 2):653–662. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90472-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Hollenberg S. M., Evans R. M. Multiple and cooperative trans-activation domains of the human glucocorticoid receptor. Cell. 1988 Dec 2;55(5):899–906. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(88)90145-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Jeltsch J. M., Krozowski Z., Quirin-Stricker C., Gronemeyer H., Simpson R. J., Garnier J. M., Krust A., Jacob F., Chambon P. Cloning of the chicken progesterone receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Aug;83(15):5424–5428. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.15.5424. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Klein-Hitpass L., Ryffel G. U., Heitlinger E., Cato A. C. A 13 bp palindrome is a functional estrogen responsive element and interacts specifically with estrogen receptor. Nucleic Acids Res. 1988 Jan 25;16(2):647–663. doi: 10.1093/nar/16.2.647. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Klock G., Strähle U., Schütz G. Oestrogen and glucocorticoid responsive elements are closely related but distinct. Nature. 1987 Oct 22;329(6141):734–736. doi: 10.1038/329734a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Kozak M. A profusion of controls. J Cell Biol. 1988 Jul;107(1):1–7. doi: 10.1083/jcb.107.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Kozak M. An analysis of 5'-noncoding sequences from 699 vertebrate messenger RNAs. Nucleic Acids Res. 1987 Oct 26;15(20):8125–8148. doi: 10.1093/nar/15.20.8125. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Kozak M. Circumstances and mechanisms of inhibition of translation by secondary structure in eucaryotic mRNAs. Mol Cell Biol. 1989 Nov;9(11):5134–5142. doi: 10.1128/mcb.9.11.5134. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Kozak M. The scanning model for translation: an update. J Cell Biol. 1989 Feb;108(2):229–241. doi: 10.1083/jcb.108.2.229. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Krett N. L., Wei L. L., Francis M. D., Nordeen S. K., Gordon D. F., Wood W. M., Horwitz K. B. Human progesterone A-receptors can be synthesized intracellularly and are biologically functional. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1988 Nov 30;157(1):278–285. doi: 10.1016/s0006-291x(88)80044-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Krust A., Green S., Argos P., Kumar V., Walter P., Bornert J. M., Chambon P. The chicken oestrogen receptor sequence: homology with v-erbA and the human oestrogen and glucocorticoid receptors. EMBO J. 1986 May;5(5):891–897. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04300.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Kumar V., Chambon P. The estrogen receptor binds tightly to its responsive element as a ligand-induced homodimer. Cell. 1988 Oct 7;55(1):145–156. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(88)90017-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Kumar V., Green S., Staub A., Chambon P. Localisation of the oestradiol-binding and putative DNA-binding domains of the human oestrogen receptor. EMBO J. 1986 Sep;5(9):2231–2236. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04489.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Lambert P. F., Spalholz B. A., Howley P. M. A transcriptional repressor encoded by BPV-1 shares a common carboxy-terminal domain with the E2 transactivator. Cell. 1987 Jul 3;50(1):69–78. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90663-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Lin H. C., Lei S. P., Wilcox G. An improved DNA sequencing strategy. Anal Biochem. 1985 May 15;147(1):114–119. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(85)90016-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Logeat F., Pamphile R., Loosfelt H., Jolivet A., Fournier A., Milgrom E. One-step immunoaffinity purification of active progesterone receptor. Further evidence in favor of the existence of a single steroid binding subunit. Biochemistry. 1985 Feb 12;24(4):1029–1035. doi: 10.1021/bi00325a034. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Loosfelt H., Atger M., Misrahi M., Guiochon-Mantel A., Meriel C., Logeat F., Benarous R., Milgrom E. Cloning and sequence analysis of rabbit progesterone-receptor complementary DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Dec;83(23):9045–9049. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.23.9045. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. Loosfelt H., Logeat F., Vu Hai M. T., Milgrom E. The rabbit progesterone receptor. Evidence for a single steroid-binding subunit and characterization of receptor mRNA. J Biol Chem. 1984 Nov 25;259(22):14196–14202. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Luckow B., Schütz G. CAT constructions with multiple unique restriction sites for the functional analysis of eukaryotic promoters and regulatory elements. Nucleic Acids Res. 1987 Jul 10;15(13):5490–5490. doi: 10.1093/nar/15.13.5490. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  44. Mader S., Kumar V., de Verneuil H., Chambon P. Three amino acids of the oestrogen receptor are essential to its ability to distinguish an oestrogen from a glucocorticoid-responsive element. Nature. 1989 Mar 16;338(6212):271–274. doi: 10.1038/338271a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  45. Martinez E., Givel F., Wahli W. The estrogen-responsive element as an inducible enhancer: DNA sequence requirements and conversion to a glucocorticoid-responsive element. EMBO J. 1987 Dec 1;6(12):3719–3727. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb02706.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  46. Meyer M. E., Gronemeyer H., Turcotte B., Bocquel M. T., Tasset D., Chambon P. Steroid hormone receptors compete for factors that mediate their enhancer function. Cell. 1989 May 5;57(3):433–442. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90918-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  47. Miller P. F., Hinnebusch A. G. Sequences that surround the stop codons of upstream open reading frames in GCN4 mRNA determine their distinct functions in translational control. Genes Dev. 1989 Aug;3(8):1217–1225. doi: 10.1101/gad.3.8.1217. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  48. Misrahi M., Atger M., d'Auriol L., Loosfelt H., Meriel C., Fridlansky F., Guiochon-Mantel A., Galibert F., Milgrom E. Complete amino acid sequence of the human progesterone receptor deduced from cloned cDNA. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1987 Mar 13;143(2):740–748. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(87)91416-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  49. Misrahi M., Loosfelt H., Atger M., Mériel C., Zerah V., Dessen P., Milgrom E. Organisation of the entire rabbit progesterone receptor mRNA and of the promoter and 5' flanking region of the gene. Nucleic Acids Res. 1988 Jun 24;16(12):5459–5472. doi: 10.1093/nar/16.12.5459. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  50. Nardulli A. M., Greene G. L., O'Malley B. W., Katzenellenbogen B. S. Regulation of progesterone receptor messenger ribonucleic acid and protein levels in MCF-7 cells by estradiol: analysis of estrogen's effect on progesterone receptor synthesis and degradation. Endocrinology. 1988 Mar;122(3):935–944. doi: 10.1210/endo-122-3-935. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  51. Petkovich M., Brand N. J., Krust A., Chambon P. A human retinoic acid receptor which belongs to the family of nuclear receptors. Nature. 1987 Dec 3;330(6147):444–450. doi: 10.1038/330444a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  52. Read L. D., Snider C. E., Miller J. S., Greene G. L., Katzenellenbogen B. S. Ligand-modulated regulation of progesterone receptor messenger ribonucleic acid and protein in human breast cancer cell lines. Mol Endocrinol. 1988 Mar;2(3):263–271. doi: 10.1210/mend-2-3-263. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  53. Romano G. J., Krust A., Pfaff D. W. Expression and estrogen regulation of progesterone receptor mRNA in neurons of the mediobasal hypothalamus: an in situ hybridization study. Mol Endocrinol. 1989 Aug;3(8):1295–1300. doi: 10.1210/mend-3-8-1295. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  54. Sassone-Corsi P., Duboule D., Chambon P. Viral enhancer activity in teratocarcinoma cells. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 1985;50:747–752. doi: 10.1101/sqb.1985.050.01.092. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  55. Schibler U., Sierra F. Alternative promoters in developmental gene expression. Annu Rev Genet. 1987;21:237–257. doi: 10.1146/annurev.ge.21.120187.001321. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  56. Tora L., Gaub M. P., Mader S., Dierich A., Bellard M., Chambon P. Cell-specific activity of a GGTCA half-palindromic oestrogen-responsive element in the chicken ovalbumin gene promoter. EMBO J. 1988 Dec 1;7(12):3771–3778. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1988.tb03261.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  57. Tora L., Gronemeyer H., Turcotte B., Gaub M. P., Chambon P. The N-terminal region of the chicken progesterone receptor specifies target gene activation. Nature. 1988 May 12;333(6169):185–188. doi: 10.1038/333185a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  58. Tora L., White J., Brou C., Tasset D., Webster N., Scheer E., Chambon P. The human estrogen receptor has two independent nonacidic transcriptional activation functions. Cell. 1989 Nov 3;59(3):477–487. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90031-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  59. Umesono K., Evans R. M. Determinants of target gene specificity for steroid/thyroid hormone receptors. Cell. 1989 Jun 30;57(7):1139–1146. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90051-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  60. Walter P., Green S., Greene G., Krust A., Bornert J. M., Jeltsch J. M., Staub A., Jensen E., Scrace G., Waterfield M. Cloning of the human estrogen receptor cDNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Dec;82(23):7889–7893. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.23.7889. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  61. Webster N. J., Green S., Jin J. R., Chambon P. The hormone-binding domains of the estrogen and glucocorticoid receptors contain an inducible transcription activation function. Cell. 1988 Jul 15;54(2):199–207. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(88)90552-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  62. Webster N. J., Green S., Tasset D., Ponglikitmongkol M., Chambon P. The transcriptional activation function located in the hormone-binding domain of the human oestrogen receptor is not encoded in a single exon. EMBO J. 1989 May;8(5):1441–1446. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1989.tb03526.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  63. Wei L. L., Krett N. L., Francis M. D., Gordon D. F., Wood W. M., O'Malley B. W., Horwitz K. B. Multiple human progesterone receptor messenger ribonucleic acids and their autoregulation by progestin agonists and antagonists in breast cancer cells. Mol Endocrinol. 1988 Jan;2(1):62–72. doi: 10.1210/mend-2-1-62. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  64. Zenke M., Grundström T., Matthes H., Wintzerith M., Schatz C., Wildeman A., Chambon P. Multiple sequence motifs are involved in SV40 enhancer function. EMBO J. 1986 Feb;5(2):387–397. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1986.tb04224.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The EMBO Journal are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES