REGULATION OF THE FSH RECEPTOR IN SERTOLI CELLS

哺乳动物的生殖成功取决于垂体-性腺 生殖轴 卵泡刺激素（FSH）是一种关键的 生殖轴的组成部分。 这种激素有重要的作用 对睾丸的发育和分化都有影响。 促卵泡激素释放激素 其生物学效应通过FSH受体（FSHR）， 仅在睾丸支持细胞和颗粒细胞中表达 在卵巢里 FSHR的细胞特异性表达表明， 生殖腺特有的机制参与其转录 activation. 我们推测FSHR基因的调控机制可能是 支持细胞中的表达将涉及一组独特的转录 FSHR基因启动子区结合因子。 独特的 支持细胞中FSHR表达的性质，表明这些因子可能 对于许多转录事件的发生具有全局重要性， 支持细胞中的基因激活。 具体目标是 建议旨在确定FSHR的重要控制区域 通过使用连接介导的体内基因组足迹法 （LM）-PCR，并鉴定和表征结合一种或多种蛋白质的方法。 重要的FSHR启动子元件，E-box，使用DNA寡核苷酸 亲和层析

Reproductive success in mammals is dependent on the pituitary-gonadal reproductive axis. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is a critical component of the reproductive axis. This hormone has important effects on both the development and differentiation of the testis. FSH elicits its biological effects through the FSH receptor (FSHR), which is expressed exclusively in Sertoli cells in the testis and granulosa cells in the ovary. The cell-specific expression of the FSHR suggests that mechanisms specific to the gonads are involved in its transcriptional activation. We hypothesize that the mechanism regulating FSHR gene expression in Sertoli cells will involve a unique set of transcription factors binding to the promoter region of the FSHR gene. The unique nature of FSHR expression in Sertoli cells, suggest these factors may be globally important for a host of transcriptional events occurring during gene activation in Sertoli cells. The specific aims in this proposal are designed to identify important control regions of the FSHR gene in vivo by in vivo genomic footprinting using ligation-mediated (LM)-PCR and to identify and characterize the protein(s) that bind an important FSHR promoter element, the E-box, using DNA oligonucleotide affinity chromatography.