We have identified a number of differentially expressed miRNAs in late-stage human OA cartilage and bone. Functional analysis of miR-9, miR-98 and miR-146 in primary chondrocytes suggests a role in mediating the IL-1 beta induced production of TNF-alpha. MiR-9, upregulated in OA tissue, was found to inhibit secretion of the collagen type II-targeting metalloproteinase MMP13 in isolated human chondrocytes.
Complementary DNA clones corresponding to the mouse uterus estrogen receptor mRNA have been isolated and characterized. Nucleotide sequence analysis predicts that full-length cDNA has the potential to code for a polypeptide of 599 amino acids, and comparison with the protein sequences of the rat, human, and chicken estrogen receptors reveals overall homologies of 97%, 88% and 77%, respectively. Genomic clones for the mouse estrogen receptor have been isolated from a cosmid library and used in conjunction with the cDNA clones to study the expression of the receptor in vivo by RNase mapping, primer extension, and Northern blotting. These analyses demonstrate that transcription initiates at multiple sites which span a region of at least 62 base pairs and that the estrogen receptor is encoded by mRNA of approximately 6.5 kilobases in size. There are 10 major starts in total, one of which is situated 31 nucleotides downstream from a TATA box-like motif and coincides with the start of the cDNA clone pMOR8. The ability of the cDNA clone to produce a functional protein was verified by transfection into COS-1 cells which lack endogenous estrogen receptor. The mouse estrogen receptor, in a SV40-based expression vector, was cotransfected with a chimeric marker plasmid consisting of an estrogen response element from the vitellogenin A2 gene linked to the thymidine kinase promoter and the chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene. In the presence of estradiol chloramphenicol acetyl transferase activity is stimulated by up to 80-fold, while tamoxifen and 4-hydroxytamoxifen act primarily as antiestrogens in this in vitro assay.
We have characterized steroid response elements in mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV) by transient transfection. Four partial inverted repeats of the sequence TGTTCT function as response elements for androgen, as well as for glucocorticoid and progestins, although the relative hormone inductions mediated by each oligonucleotide were different. Mutational analysis of the left half of the palindrome showed that a perfect dyad symmetry is not required for optimum activity as a steroid response element. To investigate potential interactions between steroid receptors and transcription factors we have analysed the minimum sequence requirements for a hormone response. Interestingly, a single 15 bp steroid response element and a TATA box are sufficient for steroid inductions. When the distance between the two elements was increased by up to two turns of the helix the hormone induction initially increased and then gradually declined with no obvious periodicity.
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