Characterization and functional analysis of the 5'-flanking region of the mouse 20alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase gene.

ABSTRACT: 20alpha-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20alpha-HSD), which metabolizes progesterone to an inactive steroid in the corpus luteum of mice and rats but not of humans, is thought to play a crucial role in shortening the oestrous cycles in these rodent species. We determined the nucleotide sequence of the 5'-flanking region of the mouse 20alpha-HSD gene, and examined its promoter activity using a rat luteinized granulosa cell culture. A reporter assay, using reporter constructs of various lengths of the 5'-flanking region, revealed that the region between -83 and 60 bp upstream of the transcription start site was essential for transcriptional activity. Furthermore, mutational analysis demonstrated that a putative Sp1 site in this region was critical to the expression of the reporter gene. Electr

SUBMITTER: Hirabayashi K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1133973 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature