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The basic helix‐loop‐helix E2A gene product E47, not E12, is present in differentiating Sertoli cells
Author(s) -
Chaudhary Jaideep,
Skinner Michael K.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2795(199901)52:1<1::aid-mrd1>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - sertoli cell , biology , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , cell type , transcription factor , fgf9 , gene expression , cell , genetics , spermatogenesis , endocrinology
Sertoli cells are the epithelial cells required to maintain spermatogenesis in the adult testis. The induction of Sertoli cell differentiation in the embryo promotes testicular development and male sex determination. Previous reports suggest that Sertoli cell differentiation is regulated in part by basic helix loop helix transcription factors. This was based on the observation that the promoters of a number of Sertoli cell‐specific genes contain E‐box response elements and over‐expression of Id, a negatively acting bHLH protein, which down regulates Sertoli cell differentiated functions. The present study investigates the ubiquitously expressed bHLH proteins E12 and E47 in Sertoli cells. E12 and E47 are spliced variants of the E2A gene and are implicated in cell‐specific gene expression as part of a dimeric bHLH complex that interacts with E‐box response elements. Both E12 and E47 bHLH proteins are detected in a wide range of cell types. The E12/E47 cDNA product was cloned from Sertoli cells and sequenced. The sequence of the E2A gene product was found to be highly similar to E47, with only two amino acid differences. Characterization of the E2A transcripts suggested that Sertoli cells express E47. Interestingly, using specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers, Sertoli cells were found to only express E47 and not E12. However, E12 was present in the RNA samples obtained from whole testis containing a mixture of cell types. Hormones were found to have no influence on the expression of E47 by Sertoli cells. No other cell system studied to date has been shown to specifically express E47. The results are discussed in relation to the possibility that Sertoli cells may express a more cell‐specific bHLH protein that can preferentially dimerize with E47, and/or that E47 homodimers may be transcriptionally active in Sertoli cells. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 52:1–8, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.