REGULATION OF GNRH RECEPTOR GENE EXPRESSION

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The binding of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) to specific, high-affinity receptors located on gonadotrope cells of the anterior pituitary gland is central to reproduction. In the absence of GnRH input, synthesis and secretion of luteinzing hormone and, consequently, normal gonadal function ceases. Thus, the GnRH receptor (GnRHR) is the site that receives and mediates the primary stimulatory input to gonadotropes. We have found that expression of the murine GnRHR in gonadotrope-derived alphaT3-1 cells is mediated by a complex enhancer whose components include a binding site for steroidogenic factor-1 (SF- 1), an AP-1 element, and an element we have termed the GnRH receptor activating sequence (GRAS). This complex enhancer also integrates multiple endocrine inputs. First, we have recently found that GRAS co-localizes with activin regulation of the GnRHR promoter. Unresolved, however, is the identity of the protein(s) that integrate functional activity at GRAS. In Specific Aim 1, we propose to identify the protein(s) that regulate the functional activity, and activin responsiveness of GRAS. Second, AP-1 appears to be the operative element that mediates GnRH regulation; however, important questions remain as to the signal transduction cascades and downstream targets that ultimately lead to GnRH activation at the GnRHR AP-1 site. In Specific Aim 2, our goal is to define the molecular mechanisms underlying GnRH regulation of GnRHR gene expression. We have also found that 1900 bp of proximal promoter is sufficient for tissue-specific expression and GnRH responsiveness in transgenic mice. In Specific Aim 3, we propose to expand these studies to further explore the requirements for tissue/cell-specific expression and hormonal regulation of the GnRHR gene. Finally, we have generated cell lines that express intrinsically fluorescent forms of the GnRHR. These molecules provide a unique opportunity to study the GnRHR as both an occupied and unoccupied receptor in living cells. In Specific Aim 4, we will use fluorescence resonance energy transfer to test the hypothesis that an early event in GnRH signaling is agonist induced receptor self- association. In terms of fertility regulation, the relevance of investigating GnRH and its cognate receptor is clear. However, the use of potent agonists and antagonists of GnRH in the treatment of fibroid tumors, endometriosis, and carcinomas of the breast, prostate, testes, and pituitary underscores the need for a full understanding of GnRH and the GnRHR in both health and disease.