TY - JOUR
T1 - Interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) is expressed in the ovine uterus and functions as a transcriptional activator
AU - Fleming, Jo Ann G.W.
AU - Song, Gwonhwa
AU - Choi, Youngsok
AU - Spencer, Thomas E.
AU - Bazer, Fuller W.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Dr. Ming-jer Tsai (Baylor College of Medicine) for the PRE2–TATA–LUC construct and Dr. Thomas R. Hansen (Colorado State University) for the ISG17–LUC construct. Financial support for these studies was obtained from National Institutes of Health R01 Grant HD32534.
PY - 2009/2/27
Y1 - 2009/2/27
N2 - Interferon tau (IFNT), the maternal recognition of pregnancy signal in sheep and other ruminants, is secreted by the conceptus and regulates the expression of a number of genes in a cell-specific manner within the uterus. The response of different endometrial cell types to IFNT appears to be specified by IFN regulatory factors (IRFs). IRF2, a potent repressor of gene transcription, is expressed only by luminal (LE) and superficial glandular epithelia (sGE), whereas IRF1 and IRF9, activators of gene transcription, are expressed only in GE and stromal cells of the uterus during early pregnancy. In the present study, IRF6 was found to be expressed in LE/sGE and middle GE of the ovine uterine endometrium as well as conceptus trophectoderm. IRF family members can regulate transcription via IFN-stimulated response elements (ISREs). Transient transfection analyses found that IRF6 enhanced basal activity of ISRE-containing promoters, but did not enhance IFNT stimulation of ISRE-containing promoters in variety of different cell types. Further, IRF6 did not cooperate with IRF1 or reduce IRF2 repression of ISRE-containing promoter activity. These results establish that IRF6 is a transcriptional activator that is preferentially expressed in the endometrial epithelia and conceptus trophectoderm. IRF6 is hypothesized to play critical roles in endometrial gene expression as well as in conceptus trophectoderm growth and differentiation.
AB - Interferon tau (IFNT), the maternal recognition of pregnancy signal in sheep and other ruminants, is secreted by the conceptus and regulates the expression of a number of genes in a cell-specific manner within the uterus. The response of different endometrial cell types to IFNT appears to be specified by IFN regulatory factors (IRFs). IRF2, a potent repressor of gene transcription, is expressed only by luminal (LE) and superficial glandular epithelia (sGE), whereas IRF1 and IRF9, activators of gene transcription, are expressed only in GE and stromal cells of the uterus during early pregnancy. In the present study, IRF6 was found to be expressed in LE/sGE and middle GE of the ovine uterine endometrium as well as conceptus trophectoderm. IRF family members can regulate transcription via IFN-stimulated response elements (ISREs). Transient transfection analyses found that IRF6 enhanced basal activity of ISRE-containing promoters, but did not enhance IFNT stimulation of ISRE-containing promoters in variety of different cell types. Further, IRF6 did not cooperate with IRF1 or reduce IRF2 repression of ISRE-containing promoter activity. These results establish that IRF6 is a transcriptional activator that is preferentially expressed in the endometrial epithelia and conceptus trophectoderm. IRF6 is hypothesized to play critical roles in endometrial gene expression as well as in conceptus trophectoderm growth and differentiation.
KW - Conceptus
KW - Endometrium
KW - Interferon regulatory factor
KW - Transcriptional activator
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=58649113619&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.mce.2008.10.025
DO - 10.1016/j.mce.2008.10.025
M3 - Article
C2 - 19022341
AN - SCOPUS:58649113619
SN - 0303-7207
VL - 299
SP - 252
EP - 260
JO - Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
JF - Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology
IS - 2
ER -