Endocrinology, Vol 132, 757-762, Copyright © 1993 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Fibroblast growth factor enhances the transcription and stability of human chorionic gonadotropin beta-subunit messenger ribonucleic acid in Jar choriocarcinoma cells

AM Oberbauer, DD Strong, TA Linkhart, S Mohan and LD Longo
Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis 95616- 8521.

In previous studies, we found that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) significantly stimulated the secretion of hCG beta in the Jar choriocarcinoma cell line. In the present study, the effect of bFGF on the steady state hCG beta mRNA level in this cell line was determined. Application of Northern analyses with total RNA isolated from bFGF- stimulated Jar cells revealed that, in a time-dependent manner, the steady state hCG beta mRNA level increased progressively, reaching 4- fold of the control value within 4 h after exposure to bFGF. The observed accumulation was due in part to increased transcription (2.4- fold relative to that in control cultures), as determined by nuclear transcription studies. In addition, bFGF increased the stability of the hCG beta message; the message half-life was increased from approximately 3 h (in control cultures) to greater than 6 h (in bFGF- treated cultures). These data demonstrate that bFGF stimulates hCG beta mRNA accumulation in a complex manner regulated through both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms.