Progesterone receptor (PR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, is a key regulator of cellular proliferation and differentiation in reproductive tissues. The transcriptional activity of PR is influenced by co-regulatory proteins typically expressed in a tissue-and cellspecific fashion. We previously demonstrated that basic transcription element-binding protein-1 (BTEB1), a member of the Sp/Krü ppel-like family of transcription factors, functionally interacts with the two PR isoforms, PR-A and PR-B, to mediate progestin sensitivity of target genes in endometrial epithelial cells in vitro. Here we report that ablation of the Bteb1 gene in female mice results in uterine hypoplasia, reduced litter size, and increased incidence of neonatal deaths in offspring. The reduced litter size is solely a maternal genotype effect and results from fewer numbers of implantation sites, rather than defects in ovulation. In the early pregnant uterus, Bteb1 expression in stromal cells temporally coincides with PR-A isoform-dependent decidual formation at the time of implantation. Expression of two implantation-specific genes, Hoxa10 and cyclin D3, was decreased in uteri of early pregnant Bteb1-null mutants, whereas that of Bteb3, a related family member, was increased, the latter possibly compensating for the loss of Bteb1. Progesterone responsiveness of several uterine genes was altered with Bteb1-null mutation. These results identify Bteb1 as a functionally relevant PR-interacting protein and suggest its selective modulation of cellular processes that are regulated by PR-A in the uterine stroma.

Chronic and excessive alcohol consumption is an important and modifiable risk factor for type 2 diabetes. We previously reported elevations in hepatic Class 1 alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) expression in ethanol-fed rats correspondent with reduced levels of mature, nuclear sterol-regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP-1), an insulin-induced transcriptional repressor of the ADH gene. In this report, we have studied the effects of insulin and ethanol on ADH gene expression in a highly differentiated rat hepatoma cell line (FGC-4), as well as the in vivo effects of chronic intake of an ethanol-containing diet on hepatic insulin signaling. Insulin inhibited ADH gene expression, and this was abolished by LY294002 (a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor) and small interfering RNA knockdown of SREBP-1. Chronic ethanol intake led to decreased phosphorylation of Akt (protein kinase B) at Writings from as early as the 17th century, as well as modern epidemiological studies, suggest that chronic and excessive alcohol consumption is positively associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes (1-5). Ethanol intake has been reported to decrease glucose uptake and utilization consistent with the development of insulin resistance, a central component of diabetes (6). Results from these previous studies suggest that the ethanol impairment of insulin action is likely to be downstream from PI3 2 kinase; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of alcohol on insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes remain to be determined (7).We previously reported that chronic intragastric infusion of an ethanol-containing diet to rats results in unique and predictably recurring cyclic fluctuations in plasma ethanol concentrations (8) as a consequence of cyclic expression of the major alcohol metabolizing enzyme, hepatic Class 1 alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). Further studies from our laboratory demonstrated that alcohol induces hepatic ADH gene transcription via decreased levels of nuclear SREBP-1c protein, a negative regulator of the ADH gene (9). SREBP-1c is encoded by an insulinresponsive gene (10) and is an important early mediator in the pathway of insulin action in the liver (11). These observations led to the current hypothesis under study, namely that ethanol may suppress nuclear SREBP-1c via disruption of insulin signaling, which may be a potential link between alcohol consumption and insulin resistance. In this study, we elucidate the mechanism by which chronic ethanol intake inhibits insulin action and identify TRB3, a previously identified modulator of Akt signaling, as a primary ethanol-responsive modifier of insulin signaling (12). EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESMaterials-All chemicals, unless otherwise specified, were purchased from Sigma. Antibodies were purchased from commercial suppliers: SREBP-1 was from Santa Cruz Biotechnology Inc. (Santa Cruz, CA); GSK3, and phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) were from Upstate Biotechnology (Lake Placid, NY); phospho-GSK3, Akt, phospho-Akt 473 , phospho-Akt 30...

The Sp/KLF transcription factor basic transcription element-binding protein (BTEB1) regulates gene transcription by binding to GC-rich sequence motifs present in the promoters of numerous tissue-specific as well as housekeeping genes. Similar to other members of this family, BTEB1 can act as a transactivator or transrepressor depending on cell and promoter context, although the molecular mechanism underlying these distinct activities remains unclear. Here we report that BTEB1 can mediate signaling pathways involving the nuclear receptor for the steroid hormone progesterone in endometrial epithelial cells by its selective interaction with the progesterone receptor (PR) isoforms,

Loss of KLF9 coregulation of endometrial stromal PGR-responsive gene networks may underlie progesterone resistance in endometriosis.

Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) inhibits chymotrypsin, trypsin, elastase, and cathepsin G. This protein also exhibits proliferative effects, although little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying this activity. We have generated SLPI-ablated epithelial sublines by stably transfecting the Ishikawa human endometrial cell line with an antisense human SLPI RNA expression vector. We demonstrate a positive correlation between cellular SLPI production and proliferation. We further show that Ishikawa sublines expressing low to undetectable SLPI have correspondingly increased and decreased expression, respectively, of transforming growth factor-␤1 and cyclin D1 genes, relative to parental cells. SLPI selectively increased cyclin D1 gene expression, with the effect occurring in part at the level of promoter activity. Cellular SLPI levels negatively influenced the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 expression. We also identified lysyl oxidase, a phenotypic inhibitor of the ras oncogenic pathway and a tumor suppressor, as SLPI-repressed gene, whose expression is up-regulated by transforming growth factor-␤1. Our results suggest that SLPI acts at the node(s) of at least three major interacting growth inhibitory pathways. Because expression of SLPI is generally high in epithelial cells exhibiting abnormal proliferation such as in carcinomas, SLPI may define a novel pathway by which cellular growth is modulated. Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI),1 also known as anti-leukoprotease, human mucus proteinase inhibitor, and human seminal plasma inhibitor, is a 12-kDa member of the chelonianin class of serine protease inhibitors, which also includes SKALP/elafin (1, 2). SLPI is composed of two homologous cysteine-rich domains. The carboxyl-terminal domain manifests inhibitory activities against chymotrypsin, trypsin, granulocyte and pancreatic elastases, cathepsin G, and mast cell chymase (3, 4). SLPI is expressed primarily in secretory/glandular epithelial cells of a variety of human tissues including the bronchi, parotid glands, small and large intestines, skin, breast, pancreas, male and female genital tracts, and kidney (5-14). Its relative absence in serum, except in certain pathological conditions (15, 16), and its localization to extracellular matrix and subcellular sites not readily accessible to larger molecular weight protease inhibitors such as ␣ 1 -antitrypsin (17), suggests a primarily autocrine/paracrine mode of action. In addition to its anti-protease activity, SLPI has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-retroviral (human immunodeficiency virus) activities that appear to reside in its amino-terminal cysteine-rich domain (18 -23). Furthermore, SLPI has been shown to regulate intracellular enzyme synthesis, suppress matrix metalloproteinase production and activity, mediate normal wound healing, prevent scar formation, and augment fertility (24 -27). The higher uterine endometrial expression of SLPI during pregnancy ...

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The insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) circulate in plasma in association with IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). As a first step to understanding the regulation of expression of these proteins in pigs, we characterized the ontogeny of circulating IGFs and IGFBPs during fetal and early postnatal development. Serum IGFs were separated from IGFBPs, before IGF RIA, by acidification and chromatography on C18 Sep-Pak cartridges. The IGF-I levels increased during the latter half of fetal life from 11 +/- 1 ng/ml on day 60 to 37 +/- 3 ng/ml on day 112 (2-3 days before term) and further increased postnatally to 227 +/- 21 to 265 +/- 26 ng/ml) and also increased higher than IGF-I levels, with no obvious developmental pattern, during fetal life (170 +/- 21 to 265 +/- 26 ng/ml) and also increased postnatally by 2-fold (463 +/- 29 ng/ml on day 42). These results support the view that IGF-II is a fetal and postnatal growth factor, whereas IGF-I is primarily a postnatal growth mediator in pigs. Serum IGF-binding proteins were identified by Western ligand blotting. Five IGFBPs with apparent mol wt of 43K, 39K, 34K, 31K, and 26K were detected in fetal and postnatal sera. The two largest proteins were shown to be glycoproteins and immunologically related to porcine (p) IGFBP-3, suggesting that they are glycosylation variants of pIGFBP-3. The abundance of these two IGFBPs increased coincidently with increasing serum IGF-I levels. The 34K IGFBP was immunologically related to rIGFBP-2 and was 2- to 3-fold more abundant in fetal serum than in postnatal serum. The 31K IGFBP was resolved into a triplet and also was a component of pIGFBP-3 immunoprecipitates. Similarly, the 26K IGFBP was present in pIGFBP-3 immunoprecipitates. The 31K and 26K IGFBPs represented a minor portion of serum IGF-binding activity in fetal and postnatal pigs and exhibited no obvious developmental patterns. It is hypothesized that the postnatal increases in serum IGF-I and 43K and 39K IGFBPs as well as the decrease in the 34K IGFBP are driven by GH action.