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Endocrinology Vol. 139, No. 4 1731-1737
Copyright © 1998 by The Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

Mechanism of Action of Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide on Human Glycoprotein Hormone {alpha}-Subunit Transcription in {alpha}T3–1 Gonadotropes1

J. M. Burrin, S. J. B. Aylwin, J. G. Holdstock and U. Sahye

Department of Clinical Biochemistry, St. Bartholomew’s and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London E1 2AD, United Kingdom

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: J. M. Burrin, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, St. Bartholomew’s and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Turner Street, London E1 2AD, United Kingdom. E-mail: j.m.burrin{at}mds.qmw.ac.uk


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) has been shown to increase glycoprotein hormone {alpha}-subunit synthesis and release from pituitary cells. We have used {alpha}T3–1 clonal gonadotropes to investigate the intracellular mechanisms involved in PACAP regulation of {alpha}-subunit gene transcription; and using deletion, mutation, and heterologous constructs of the {alpha}-promoter linked to a luciferase reporter gene, we have defined DNA sequences responsive to PACAP. Stimulation of {alpha}T3–1 cells for 24 h with PACAP, GnRH, or vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) resulted in a time- and concentration-dependent increase in {alpha}-promoter transcription at 100 nM for GnRH (17.5-fold, P < 0.001), PACAP (12.7-fold, P < 0.01), and VIP (4.1-fold, P < 0.05). Incubation of {alpha}T3–1 cells in calcium-depleted medium suggested that the transcriptional response to PACAP was less dependent on changes in intracellular calcium concentration, in contrast to the results seen with GnRH or VIP, where {alpha}-subunit transcription was significantly reduced. Transfection of an {alpha}-promoter construct containing a mutant cAMP response element (CRE) suggested that the CRE region is involved in PACAP and VIP responsiveness, with stimulatory effects on the mutant construct by PACAP (11.1-fold) and VIP (7.6-fold) being significantly (P < 0.001) reduced, compared with their stimulatory effects (PACAP: 25.6-fold, VIP: 23.1-fold) on the native {alpha}-promoter. In the same experiment, the transcriptional response of the mutant CRE construct and the native CRE construct to GnRH was not significantly different. Both PACAP and VIP enhanced GnRH-stimulated {alpha}-subunit gene transcription, but this additive effect was lost when their combined effects on the mutant CRE were examined. Deletion analysis indicated that sequences between -244 and -195 bp were involved in mediating the response to PACAP, with a dramatic reduction in fold-stimulation by PACAP (2.0-fold) of the -195-bp construct, compared with the -244-bp construct (15.8-fold). Constructs containing only upstream {alpha}-promoter sequences from -517 bp to -98 bp, fused to the heterologous thymidine kinase promoter, exhibited a similar loss of responsiveness to PACAP below -298 bp. Thus, our studies show that, unlike GnRH, PACAP stimulation of {alpha}-subunit gene transcription in {alpha}T3–1 cells is less dependent on changes in intracellular calcium concentration; and full transcriptional activation of the {alpha}-subunit by PACAP requires an intact CRE. PACAP responsiveness involves sequences between -244 and -195 bp of the {alpha}-promoter. These sequences have been implicated also in GnRH-responsiveness and may thus provide a mechanism for coordinated regulation of the {alpha}-subunit gene by PACAP and GnRH in {alpha}T3–1 cells.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
PITUITARY adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a putative hypophysiotropic factor that has been clearly shown to have modulatory effects on gonadotrope function. PACAP stimulates LH release in vivo (1) and LH and FSH release in vitro (2, 3), and treatment of rat anterior pituitary cells with PACAP regulates gonadotropin messenger RNA (mRNA) expression (4). Gonadotrope cells are believed to be mainly under the control of GnRH, as well as feedback control by gonadal hormones such as estradiol and inhibin. There is also good evidence for cross-talk between the actions of GnRH and PACAP on the gonadotrope, with most reports suggesting a synergistic effect of PACAP to enhance GnRH-stimulated gonadotropin release and synthesis (2, 4, 5). These stimulatory effects of PACAP on intact LH and FSH production are also evident when its effects on the glycoprotein hormone {alpha}-subunit, common to both of these hormones, are examined. Thus, PACAP has been shown to stimulate {alpha}-subunit synthesis and release from both primary rat pituitary cells (3, 4, 6) and the clonal gonadotrope cell line {alpha}T3–1 (5, 6).

The intracellular signaling pathways that might mediate these stimulatory and synergistic actions of PACAP on gonadotropin transcription are poorly understood. At least three subtypes of PACAP receptor (PVR1, PVR2, and PVR3) exist that are capable of activating both adenylate cyclase (AC) and phospholipase C (PLC) signaling pathways (7). These receptor subtypes differ in their specificity of binding to PACAP and the structurally related vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and also in their activation of the AC and PLC pathways. It seems that normal rat gonadotropes express the PVR1 subtype (8), whereas clonal {alpha}T3–1 cells have been shown to express the mRNA for both PVR1 and PVR3 (9). Studies on the effects of PACAP on intracellular signaling pathways in {alpha}T3–1 cells seem to confirm the receptor subtype findings. Thus, PACAP stimulates inositol phosphate turnover with a potency approximately 1000-fold higher than VIP (6, 9) and stimulates cAMP production 100-fold more potently than VIP (6, 9). In addition, PACAP has been shown to increase cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration through an inositol trisphosphate-dependent mechanism (10).

In this study, we have used {alpha}T3–1 cells to examine the effects of PACAP on {alpha}-subunit promoter transcription. We have shown previously that extracellular calcium influx can stimulate {alpha}-subunit transcription (11), and we were interested to see whether PACAP and GnRH might employ overlapping pathways to regulate expression of the {alpha}-subunit gene. We have therefore used deletion, mutation, and heterologous constructs of the {alpha}-subunit promoter to define DNA sequences responsive to PACAP.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Reagents and plasmids
All chemicals were purchased from Sigma Chemicals (Poole, UK) unless otherwise stated. The natural peptide GnRH, a long acting agonist of GnRH, des-Gly10, [D-A1a6] GnRH ethylamide (GnRH-A), VIP, synthetic PACAP-38 (Calbiochem-Novabiochem, Nottingham, UK) and the cAMP analog, 8-bromo-cAMP were obtained in lyophilized form and dissolved directly into culture medium before each experiment.

-846 {alpha}-Luciferase ({alpha}LUC) contains 846 bp of the 5' flanking sequence and 44 bp of exon 1 of the human {alpha}-gene linked to the luciferase (LUC) reporter gene in the plasmid pA3LUC (12). Deletions of the 846-bp 5' flanking sequence linked to a LUC reporter gene and termed -517, -420, -346, -244, -195, -156, and -132 {alpha}LUC have been previously characterized and described (11). The internal control plasmid BOS-ßGal contains the promoter of the human elongation factor 1{alpha} gene driving expression of ß-galactosidase (13). The control plasmid TKLUC contains the promoter of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK) gene linked to the LUC reporter gene in the plasmid pA3LUC. For analysis of specific {alpha}-subunit promoter elements, constructs containing only upstream {alpha}-promoter sequences from -517 to -98 bp, fused to the heterologous TK promoter and termed -517, -398, -298, and -195 {alpha}TKLUC were used (11). The plasmid {Delta}cAMP response element ({Delta}CRE) C -> G {alpha}CAT is a previously characterized mutant construct of the -846-bp {alpha}-subunit promoter containing only a single copy of a variant CRE, in which there is a C -> G substitution corresponding to a mutation that has been shown to affect the ability of CREB to bind to the CRE (14) (Fig. 1Go). This construct was obtained from Dr. V. K. K. Chatterjee (University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK), and subcloned into the HindIII site of pA3LUC, and was termed -846 C -> G {alpha}LUC. All constructs were verified for orientation and correct sequence by restriction endonuclease digests and the dideoxy DNA-sequencing method. Large-scale preparation and purification of plasmids was performed by alkaline lysis and resin purification (Qiagen Ltd, Dorking, UK).



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Figure 1. Sequences of the CRE regions of the -846 {alpha}LUC and the -846 C -> G {alpha}LUC constructs. Native human {alpha} sequences are denoted by the shaded boxes. Base deletions are shown by dashed lines, and the mutated base in lower case.

 
Cell culture and transient expression assays
{alpha}T3–1 cells (from Dr. P. Mellon, University of California, San Diego, CA) were grown in monolayer culture in DMEM (Gibco BRL, Paisley, Scotland, UK) supplemented with 10% (vol/vol) FCS (Gibco), penicillin (48 mg/liter), streptomycin (125 mg/liter), and fungizone (125 mg/liter), hereafter referred to as culture medium. Cells were incubated at 37 C in a humidified atmosphere of 95% air-5% CO2. Before transfection, cells were washed with PBS and harvested by treatment with 0.05% (vol/vol) trypsin in 0.5 mM EDTA. Cells were stained with trypan blue, counted in a hemocytometer, and subcultured into 24-well culture dishes in aliquots of 1.0 x 106 cells per well in 2 ml culture medium. Cells were incubated overnight and subsequently transfected. For experiments studying the effects of calcium depletion, cells were incubated in Ham’s F10 medium (Gibco) with a measured total calcium concentration of 0.7 mM and subsequently referred to as calcium-depleted medium (CDM). Calcium concentration in the medium was measured by a standard spectrophotometric technique using the selective calcium binding dye, o-cresolphthalein complexone. Results were compared with cells incubated in Ham’s F10 medium supplemented with additional calcium to a final measured concentration of 1.7 mM and referred to as calcium-supplemented media (CSM). Both media contained penicillin (48 mg/liter), streptomycin (125 mg/liter), fungizone (125 mg/liter), and 10% vol/vol FCS.

Cells were transfected with 5 µg LUC plasmid by the calcium phosphate technique (15) without glycerol shock. Plasmid (5 µg) containing a ß-galactosidase reporter gene (BOS-ßGal) was cotransfected to normalize transfection efficiencies in some experiments. After 4 h, the cells were washed, and fresh culture medium was added, with or without the appropriate treatment, as indicated in the text and figure legends. After incubation, cellular extracts were prepared, and 100 µl cell lysate was assayed for LUC activity, as described previously (11). Light emission was measured using a Berthold LB953 luminometer (Berthold, St. Albans, UK). ß-galactosidase activity was assayed in the same cell extracts using a spectrophotometric microtiter plate assay with D-nitrophenyl-ß-o-galactopyranoside as substrate. Absorbance was measured at 405 nm and was compared with a standard curve prepared using known concentrations of enzyme. Protein content of the cell extracts was determined using the Bradford protein assay (Bio-Rad, Hemel Hempstead, UK) and LUC activity expressed as arbitrary light units (ALU) per mg of cellular protein. LUC data from independent experiments of duplicate or triplicate transfections were pooled by normalizing the data to BOS-ßGal.

Statistical analysis
Data are expressed as the mean ± SEM for each experiment, and statistical analysis of the data were performed by ANOVA; when the F statistic was significant (P < 0.05), the analysis was continued using Fischer’s multiple-comparisons test.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Time course and concentration dependence of PACAP stimulation of human {alpha}-subunit promoter activity
The comparative responsivity of the human {alpha}-subunit promoter to PACAP, VIP, and GnRH-A was ascertained in {alpha}T3–1 cells transfected with 5 µg of the -846 {alpha}LUC plasmid. Cells were incubated for 24 h post transfection, in the presence of increasing concentrations of these three hormones, and results are expressed as mean-fold increase in LUC expression, relative to the activity, with no hormone added (Fig. 2Go). The TKLUC fusion gene was transfected in parallel for comparison. The maximal transcriptional response to PACAP and VIP occurred with a concentration of 100 nM, whereas GnRH-A exerted a maximal effect at 10 nM. Higher concentrations resulted in no further stimulation of {alpha}-subunit promoter activity. At this peak concentration of 100 nM, treatment of transfected {alpha}T3–1 cells with PACAP resulted in a 12.7-fold increase in {alpha}LUC activity, relative to control value (P < 0.01). VIP and GnRH-A stimulated {alpha}-subunit promoter expression 4.1-fold (P < 0.05) and 17.5-fold (P < 0.001), respectively, with VIP being the least potent stimulator at this concentration. LUC activity from the TK promoter was unchanged by any of these treatments (data not shown).



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Figure 2. Dose response of PACAP, VIP, and GnRH-A stimulation of {alpha}-subunit promoter activity. {alpha}T3–1 cells were transfected with -846 {alpha}LUC or TKLUC and subsequently incubated in media containing no additions, PACAP, VIP, or GnRH-A (1 , 10 , 100 , 1000 {blacksquare} nM). Cells were harvested and assayed for LUC activity at 24 h. Results are expressed as mean-fold stimulation, with respect to control ± SEM. Determinations are from two independent experiments, including at least duplicate transfections for each treatment. Statistical significance is designated as: *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; or ***, P < 0.001, compared with control.

 
A time course of PACAP, VIP, and GnRH-A stimulation of {alpha}-subunit promoter activity, as reflected by LUC expression, is summarized in Fig. 3Go. In these experiments, {alpha}T3–1 cells were transfected with -846 {alpha}LUC and were subsequently incubated for 24 h, but some cultures were incubated for 2, 4, 8, or 24 h in the presence of PACAP (100 nM), VIP (100 nM), or GnRH-A (100 nM). Thus, the time reflects the hours of exposure of the transfected {alpha}T3–1 cells to the hormones during the 24-h period post transfection. Addition of PACAP induced a time-dependent response, which reached significance, compared with control, at 2 h with a 2.1-fold rise (P < 0.05), increasing to 4.5-fold at 4 h (P < 0.01) and a peak 9.3-fold at 8 h (P < 0.001), then falling to 4.5-fold at 24 h (P < 0.01). A similar time-dependent response was seen with GnRH-A and VIP, with the peak transcriptional response to both compounds again occurring at 8 h.



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Figure 3. Time course of stimulation of {alpha}-subunit gene expression by PACAP, VIP, and GnRH-A. {alpha}T3–1 cells were transfected with -846 {alpha}LUC and subsequently incubated for 24 h. PACAP (100 nM, ), VIP (100 nM, ), or GnRH-A (100 nM, {blacksquare}) were included in the media for varying amounts of time (2–24 h, as indicated) during the 24-h posttransfection period. Values for LUC activity are expressed as ALU, normalized per mg of cellular protein, and are the mean ± SEM of six separate transfections from two independent experiments performed in triplicate. Statistical significance is denoted as: *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; or ***, P < 0.001, compared with control at 24 h.

 
Lack of modulation of PACAP-induced {alpha}-subunit transcription by calcium
We have previously shown that GnRH-stimulated {alpha}-subunit gene expression may be influenced by changes in intracellular calcium (11). The actions of PACAP on {alpha}T3–1 cells are known to affect cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations (6, 10), and we therefore examined the dependence of PACAP-stimulated {alpha}-subunit promoter activity on changes in intracellular Ca2+ using the following approach. Before transfection, {alpha}T3–1 cells were incubated in CDM (calcium concentration = 0.7 mM) for 24 h. This has been shown previously to cause depletion of the intracellular calcium stores in a nonpharmacological manner (16). After transfection with -846 {alpha}LUC, {alpha}T3–1 cells were incubated for 8 h in media containing either 0.7 mM or 1.7 mM calcium in the presence or absence of PACAP (100 nM), VIP (100 nM) or GnRH-A (100 nM). The effects of this protocol on the stimulation of {alpha}-subunit promoter activity are shown in Fig. 4Go. As we have shown previously, GnRH-A stimulation of {alpha}-subunit transcription is dramatically reduced from 1150 ± 187 ALU to 226 ± 46 ALU (P < 0.001) in cells depleted of intracellular calcium. Incubation in CDM also significantly (P < 0.01) reduced the ability of 100 nM VIP to stimulate {alpha}-subunit gene expression at 8h. In contrast, there was no apparent effect on the ability of PACAP to stimulate {alpha}-subunit transcription. The results of our experiment suggest that, unlike GnRH, the transcriptional response of the {alpha}-subunit promoter to PACAP is less dependent on changes in intracellular calcium concentration.



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Figure 4. Effects of calcium modulation on stimulation by PACAP, VIP, or GnRH-A of {alpha}-subunit promoter activity. Before transfection with -846 {alpha}LUC, {alpha}T3–1 cells were incubated in media containing 0.7 mM Ca++. After transfection, cells were incubated in CDM ([Ca++] = 0.7 mM () or CSM ([Ca++] = 1.7 mM) ({blacksquare}) in the presence or absence of PACAP (100 nM), VIP (100 nM), or GnRH-A (100 nM). Cells were harvested at 8 h and assayed for LUC activity. Results are expressed as ALU, normalized to BOS-ßGal, and are the mean ± SEM of eight separate transfections from two independent experiments performed in quadruplicate. Data were analyzed by ANOVA with statistical significance designated: ***, P < 0.001; or **, P < 0.01, compared with the ALU obtained in CSM for each treatment.

 
The CRE region of the human {alpha}-subunit promoter is involved in PACAP responsiveness
To determine the importance of the CRE in PACAP-stimulated {alpha}-subunit gene transcription, the mutant CRE construct -846 C -> G {alpha}LUC or native -846 {alpha}LUC was transiently transfected into {alpha}T3–1 cells, together with the control plasmid BOS ß-Gal. After transfection, cells were treated for 8 h with either no additions, PACAP (100 nM), VIP (100 nM), or the native GnRH peptide (100 nM) or a combination of GnRH and PACAP or GnRH and VIP. The results are shown in Fig. 5Go. As shown previously, GnRH, PACAP, and VIP all caused a significant stimulation in LUC activity from the -846 {alpha}LUC construct, compared with control. Interestingly, the combination of GnRH with either PACAP or VIP caused a significantly greater stimulation of LUC activity than any of these treatments alone, despite using a concentration (100 nM) shown previously to produce the maximal transcriptional response for each compound. The stimulatory effects of PACAP, VIP, and the cAMP analog, 8-bromo-cAMP, on the -846 C -> G {alpha}LUC construct were significantly (P < 0.001) reduced, compared with their stimulatory effects on -846 {alpha}LUC. The effect of GnRH on the mutant CRE construct was also less marked (12.0-fold, compared with 18.3-fold), but this did not achieve significance (P = 0.09). The combined effects of GnRH with PACAP or VIP were also dramatically reduced on the -846 C -> G {alpha}LUC construct with the combined stimulatory effect being decreased to that of GnRH alone. The results from these experiments suggest that converting the palindromic CRE in the human {alpha}-subunit promoter to a mutant CRE reduces both PACAP and VIP responsiveness, whereas GnRH responsiveness is preserved. The marked additive effect seen with the combination of GnRH with either PACAP or VIP was also abolished in transfections using the -846 C -> G {alpha}LUC construct.



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Figure 5. Effect of PACAP, VIP, and GnRH alone and in combination on the activity of the {alpha}-subunit promoter containing a mutant CRE construct. {alpha}T3–1 cells were transfected with either -846 {alpha}LUC ({blacksquare}) or -846 C -> G {alpha}LUC () and subsequently incubated for 8 h in media containing no additions (control), GnRH (100 nM), PACAP (100 nM), VIP (100 nM), 8-Br-cAMP (0.5 mM), or a combination of GnRH and PACAP (G + P) or GnRH and VIP (G + V). Results are normalized to BOS-ßGal and are expressed as mean-fold stimulation, with respect to control ± SEM. Determinations are from three independent experiments, including triplicate transfections for each construct. Statistical significance, calculated by ANOVA with Fisher’s post hoc analysis, are designated as: ***, P < 0.001, compared with the -846 C -> G {alpha}LUC construct for each treatment.

 
Deletion analysis of {alpha}-subunit sequences required for response to PACAP
The above experiments suggested that a full transcriptional response to PACAP required an intact CRE site. To identify other upstream regions of the {alpha}-subunit promoter that might also be involved in the transcriptional response to PACAP, 5'-deletion mutants with 5'-termini at -420, -346, -244, -195, and -156 were used. These deletion mutants were transiently transfected into {alpha}T3–1 cells together with the control plasmid BOS-ßGal. Post transfection, cells were treated for 8 h with either no additions or PACAP (100 nM). The TKLUC plasmid was also transfected in parallel, and LUC activity in all cell extracts was measured 8 h later (Fig. 6Go). LUC activity from the TK promoter was unchanged by PACAP over the 8-h time period (data not shown). As described previously (11), a stepwise loss of basal LUC expression was seen with progressive truncations of the {alpha}-subunit promoter from -420 bp to -195 bp. However, the -420, -346, and -244 {alpha}LUC constructs were each stimulated to a similar extent (10- to 15-fold) by PACAP, but the transcriptional response to PACAP was dramatically and significantly decreased (P < 0.001) with deletion to -195 bp. Thus, our data would suggest that sequences between -244 and -195 are important for PACAP-mediated expression of the human {alpha}-subunit promoter in {alpha}T3–1 cells, in addition to the CRE.



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Figure 6. Delineation of {alpha}-subunit promoter sequences responsive to PACAP. {alpha}T3–1 cells were transfected with a series of 5'-deletion LUC fusion constructs or vector alone (pA3LUC) and subsequently incubated with either medium alone (a) or PACAP (b) (100 nM). Cell extracts were assayed for LUC activity after 8 h. Results are normalized to BOS-ßGal and are means ± SEM of four separate transfections, representative of two experiments. LUC activity in a) is expressed as a percentage of the basal activity of the -420 {alpha}LUC value and in b) as the mean-fold increase, with respect to control for each construct. Statistical significance is designated as: ***, P < 0.001, compared with -195 {alpha}LUC, by ANOVA with Fisher’s post hoc analysis.

 
Identification of a region in the human {alpha}-subunit promoter that confers PACAP responsiveness to the TK promoter
Based on the results of the 5'-deletion analysis, it seemed that sequences between -244 and -195 bp of the human {alpha}-subunit promoter are able to mediate PACAP responsiveness, even though the CRE sites are downstream of -195 bp. To determine whether this upstream region could function as a PACAP-responsive unit when linked to a heterologous promoter, sequences between -517 and -98 bp of the {alpha}-subunit promoter were subcloned upstream of a minimal TK promoter in a LUC reporter vector. Transcriptional activity of these heterologous {alpha}TKLUC constructs transfected into {alpha}T3–1 cells was then examined in the presence of PACAP (100 nM) for 8 h. As shown with the native promoter, the -517, -398, and -298 {alpha}TKLUC constructs showed a similar and significant 8- to 10-fold stimulation of LUC activity with PACAP (Fig. 7Go). Again, responsiveness was lost after deletion of the sequence -298 to -195 bp, supporting the earlier data with the native constructs (that one or more PACAP-responsive elements were contained in this region). Thus, our results using overlapping native and heterologous {alpha}-promoter constructs strongly suggest that a PACAP-responsive region lies between -244 and -195 bp upstream of the transcription start site in the human {alpha}-subunit promoter.



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Figure 7. PACAP responsiveness of {alpha}TKLUC constructs. {alpha}T3–1 cells were transfected with either -517, -398, -298, or -195 {alpha}TKLUC constructs or the vector (TKLUC) alone and treated with control medium (a) or medium containing PACAP (b) (100 nM). Cells were harvested after 8 h and assayed for LUC activity. Results are normalized to BOS-ßGal and are means ± SEM of six separate transfections from two independent experiments performed in triplicate. LUC activity in a) is expressed as a percentage of the basal activity of the -517 {alpha}TKLUC value and in b) as the mean-fold increase, with respect to control, for each construct. Statistical significance is designated as: ***, P < 0.001, compared with -195 {alpha}TKLUC, by ANOVA with Fisher’s post hoc analysis.

 

    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The results of several studies support a role for PACAP in the regulation of gonadotropin synthesis and release (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Specifically, PACAP has been shown to increase {alpha}-subunit mRNA concentrations and {alpha}-subunit gene transcription in pituitary cell cultures and {alpha}T3–1 gonadotropes (4, 5, 6). The present studies confirm that PACAP regulates expression of the {alpha}-subunit gene at the transcriptional level. Treatment of {alpha}T3–1 cells with PACAP caused a dose-dependent increase of {alpha}-subunit promoter-directed LUC expression with maximal effects occurring at 100 nM. The stimulation of {alpha}-subunit promoter activity occurred in a time-dependent manner, with significant increases observed as early as 2 h and maximal values obtained at 8 h. We are only aware of one previous study using human {alpha}-subunit promoter LUC fusion genes, where a similar response to PACAP was observed with a 6- to 8-fold increase in LUC activity occurring at 20 h (6). Kinetic studies of PACAP stimulated {alpha}-subunit mRNA levels (2- to 3-fold increases) also suggest that maximum values occur between 6–12 h at a concentration of 100 nM (5, 6). We have compared the effects of PACAP and VIP on {alpha}-subunit promoter activity and found that both peptides increased {alpha}-subunit gene transcription, with the effects of PACAP being consistently greater than those of VIP, suggesting that these transcriptional effects may be mediated via the PVR1 receptor in {alpha}T3–1 cells.

In {alpha}T3–1 cells, mRNA for both the PVR1 and PVR3 subtypes of the PACAP/VIP receptor has been demonstrated (9). PACAP has a higher binding affinity than VIP for the PVR1 receptor subtype, which has been shown to activate both the AC and PLC pathways (17). The lower-affinity PVR3 receptor subtype has approximately equal affinity for PACAP and VIP, and in anterior pituitary cells, it apparently couples to the activation of AC, but not PLC (7). PACAP has been shown to stimulate cAMP production and inositol phospholipid turnover and to increase cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration in {alpha}T3–1 cells (5, 8, 9, 10), and thus, it has been suggested that these actions could be mediated via the PVR1 receptor (6, 7). Because {alpha}-subunit gene expression and transcription can be stimulated by cAMP, phorbol esters, and changes in cytosolic Ca2+ (11, 18), these effects could all be mediated by the PVR1 receptor. The {alpha}-subunit transcriptional response to PACAP was preserved in {alpha}T3–1 cells incubated in CDM. Preincubation of cells in CDM has been shown to deplete intracellular calcium stores (16), and our results suggest, therefore, that mobilization of intracellular calcium is not required for the transcriptional response. Schomerus et al. (5) have shown that cytosolic Ca2+ is elevated by PACAP, even when {alpha}T3–1 cells are incubated in Ca2+-free medium, implying that mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ occurs via an inositol trisphosphate-dependent mechanism, an observation confirmed by Rawlings et al. (10). Interestingly, previous studies have shown that in {alpha}T3–1 cells depleted of PKC activity by prolonged treatment with a PKC activator, PACAP was still able to stimulate {alpha}-subunit mRNA levels (6). In addition, PACAP effects on {alpha}-subunit gene expression can be reproduced by cAMP analogs (4). Thus, our results, and those previously published, suggest that in contrast to GnRH, the PKC/calcium pathway is relatively unimportant for the transcriptional response of the {alpha}-subunit to PACAP. Transcriptional effects occurring through the AC pathway could be mediated by binding to the PVR3 receptor. However, this receptor does not discriminate between PACAP and VIP; and we, and others (6), have shown that the effects of PACAP on {alpha}-subunit transcription are consistently greater than VIP, arguing against the involvement of the PVR3 receptor in this response. Interestingly, {alpha}-subunit promoter activity was significantly less in calcium-depleted cells incubated with VIP, suggesting that the mechanisms by which VIP stimulates {alpha}-subunit gene expression may be partially dependent on mobilization of intracellular calcium.

In the placenta, the palindromic CRE in the human {alpha}-subunit promoter has been shown to be important for both basal and cAMP-regulated expression of the {alpha}-gene. Block mutational studies of the {alpha}-subunit promoter in {alpha}T3–1 cells suggest that the CRE may also play a role in basal expression in the pituitary (19). We found that both PACAP and VIP responsiveness was significantly reduced after conversion of the palindromic CRE, in the context of the human -846 {alpha}-subunit promoter, to a single CRE containing a point mutation, suggesting that the transcriptional response to PACAP and VIP requires an intact CRE site. However, some residual responsiveness of the variant construct to PACAP and VIP was retained. This construct has been used previously in JEG-3 cells (a human placental cell line) and in GH3 cells (a rat pituitary cell line), where markedly reduced basal activity was observed, although full responsiveness to 8-bromo-cAMP was retained (14). This construct has not been transfected previously into {alpha}T3–1 cells, and we found that responsiveness to 8-bromo-cAMP was lost in these clonal gonadotropes, although partial responsiveness to PACAP and VIP was retained. This could be caused by the ability of this construct to interact with other transcription factors in this cell type. Interestingly, no significant alterations in GnRH responsiveness were seen using this construct, again suggesting that GnRH does not mediate its effects on the {alpha}-promoter via the cAMP/PKA signaling system or the CRE.

Transient transfections of the -846 {alpha}-promoter construct and the -846 C -> G {alpha}LUC, incubated with combinations of GnRH and PACAP or GnRH and VIP, demonstrated that both PACAP and VIP had additive effects to increase GnRH-stimulated {alpha}-subunit transcription. Previous studies have shown that PACAP is able to increase GnRH-stimulated {alpha}-subunit release from both rat gonadotropes and {alpha}T3–1 cells (4, 5). Similarly, PACAP has been shown to produce a statistically significant enhancement of GnRH-stimulated {alpha}-subunit mRNA expression (4). The ability of two factors to cause additive or synergistic effects is thought to occur by the activation of different intracellular mechanisms. Because the additive effect on {alpha}-subunit gene transcription was reduced to that of GnRH alone when the variant CRE construct was used, it suggests that the cAMP-PKA pathway mediates this action of PACAP.

Other studies have investigated possible mechanisms by which GnRH and PACAP might interact to influence signaling pathways in {alpha}T3–1 cells. Over short incubation periods (45–60 min) PACAP has been shown to amplify GnRH-stimulated inositol phosphate accumulation (5), and this interaction may explain the enhancement by PACAP of acute GnRH-stimulated gonadotropin release. This could also be the mechanism for PACAP enhancement of GnRH-stimulated {alpha}-subunit transcription, but our data would suggest this is unlikely because the effect is lost when a mutant CRE is used. Again, over short time periods, GnRH has been shown to inhibit the effect of PACAP on cAMP production (20), but we could find no evidence of a functional consequence of this action at 8 h, when looking at {alpha}-subunit gene transcription.

Further insight into the interaction between these two peptides on gene transcription is gained by examining the DNA elements in the {alpha}-promoter, which mediate transcriptional responsiveness. We used deletion constructs to define regions of the {alpha}-subunit gene necessary for regulation by PACAP. As we have shown previously (11), a stepwise loss in basal activity of the human promoter occurred with progressive truncations from -420 bp. Despite this, there was no change in the 10- to 14-fold stimulation of {alpha}-subunit transcription by PACAP, until deletion of the sequence between -244 and -195 bp, when a dramatic loss in PACAP responsiveness occurred. Our studies, using {alpha}-sequences linked to a heterologous promoter, also confirmed that a PACAP-responsive region lay between -298 and -195 bp of the {alpha}-promoter. This sequence of the human {alpha}-subunit promoter includes the gonadotrope-specific element or GSE, which binds to the adrenal transcription factor steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1) (21). The GSE is an 8-bp sequence including a single consensus nuclear hormone receptor half-site (Fig. 8Go). This site was originally identified as having a role in basal {alpha}SU gene expression (21), but we and others have shown that this region of the gene is also involved in mediating GnRH-responsiveness (11, 22). Our study, therefore, raises the possibility that in {alpha}T3–1 cells, at least, the GSE is involved in mediating both the GnRH and PACAP-response. Surprisingly, stimulation by PACAP of the -195 bp construct could not be detected, even though this construct contains the palindromic CRE site. Our earlier data, using a mutant CRE construct in the context of a full-length promoter, suggested that an intact CRE site was required to mediate full PACAP-responsiveness. The combined data leads us to speculate that a cooperative interaction between the transcription factors binding to these two promoter regions may be involved in PACAP-mediated transcriptional activation of the {alpha}-subunit. It is thus of interest to note recent reports that demonstrated phosphorylation of SF-1 by cAMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro (23) and SF-1 mediating a cAMP response in adrenal and luteal cells (24). Further studies are necessary to confirm that such interactions occur in gonadotropes.



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Figure 8. DNA sequence of the -244 to -195 bp region of the human {alpha}-subunit promoter, showing the location of the GSE consensus site.

 
In summary, the present studies provide information concerning the intracellular messengers involved in PACAP stimulation of {alpha}-subunit gene transcription. Because, at present, there are no stable human cell lines of gonadotrope origin available for studying regulation of the human {alpha}-subunit promoter, species-specific effects cannot be excluded. However, we have shown that in {alpha}T3–1 cells, the transcriptional response of the human {alpha}-subunit gene response seems to be calcium-independent and requires an intact CRE-site in the promoter. The -244 to -195 bp region of the human {alpha}-subunit gene seems to be sufficient to permit PACAP-responsiveness. The data suggest that some interaction between this site and the CRE may occur, but further studies are required to explore this possibility.


    Acknowledgments
 
We wish to thank Dr. P. Mellon for the {alpha}T3–1 cells, and Dr. V. K. K. Chatterjee for the -846 C -> G {alpha}CAT construct.


    Footnotes
 
1 This work was supported by funds from the Agricultural and Food Research Council, Swindon, Wilts, United Kingdom (to J.G.H.). Back

Received September 25, 1997.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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