Df. Catanzaro et al., A PIT-1 BINDING-SITE IN THE HUMAN RENIN GENE PROMOTER STIMULATES ACTIVITY IN PITUITARY, PLACENTAL AND JUXTAGLOMERULAR CELLS, Kidney international, 46(6), 1994, pp. 1513-1515
A Pit-1 binding site in the human renin gene promoter stimulates activ
ity in the pituitary, placental and juxtaglomerular cells. One of the
principal aims of our research is to determine the mechanisms which di
rect renin gene expression to different sites. We recently demonstrate
d that human renin (hRen) 5'-flanking DNA sequences -148/+11 can drive
the transient expression of a linked luciferase reporter gene transfe
cted into pituitary GC cells. This activity was found to be dependent
on the binding of Pit-1 to a site approximately 70 bp upstream from th
e transcription start site. Pit-1 is a pituitary-specific transcriptio
n factor which is involved in directing the cell-specific expression o
f growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) gene expression to somatotro
pe and lactotrope cells of the anterior pituitary. Thus, Pit-1 may be
play a role in directing the expression of renin to primate lactotrope
cells. Renin promoter-driven luciferase or CAT hybrid genes were foun
d to be expressed following transfection into primary, or early passag
e cell cultures of placental chorionic membranes, and the renin-secret
ing renal tumor cell line As4.1. As with GC cells, deletion or mutagen
esis of the Pit-1 site reduced activity several-fold in both placental
and renal cells. These results suggest that members of the POU family
of transcription factors, or some other closely related group such as
the Hox proteins, participate in directing renin gene expression to p
lacental and juxtaglomerular cells.