HEPATIC NUCLEAR FACTOR-I ALPHA(HNF-1-ALPHA) IS EXPRESSED IN THE OVIDUCT OF HENS AND INTERACTS WITH REGULATORY ELEMENTS OF THE LYSOZYME GENE

HNF-1alpha is a nuclear transcriptional regulatory protein required fo r the expression of a variety of liver-specific genes. This factor was previously considered liver-specific but later shown to be expressed also in a few other mammalian tissues. Here we report on the occurrenc e of HNF-1alpha in the avian oviduct. This finding is of particular in terest because HNF-1alpha is not expressed in female reproductive orga ns of mammals. The avian oviduct is the site of assembly for the avian egg and the site of tissue-specific synthesis of the major egg white proteins, such as lysozyme. We also demonstrate that the chicken lysoz yme gene contains HNF-1 recognition sites within two of its important upstream regulatory elements. The presence of HNF-1 recognition elemen ts in functionally significant regulatory sites of the lysozyme gene a nd high levels of HNF-1alpha in the oviduct is a strong indication for the involvement of HNF-1alpha in the control of the lysozyme gene and possibly other egg white protein genes in the chicken oviduct. Appare ntly, HNF-1alpha performs functions in the avian oviduct that were los t upon development from birds to mammals.