Endocrine Abstracts

Alternative promoters control many genes including prolactin (PRL), which in man is expressed at extra-pituitary sites controlled by an alternative promoter located 5.8 Kbp upstream of the pituitary transcription start site. Previous studies using short promoter fragments may be misleading, as the human hPRL genomic locus has many conserved far-upstream regions. To study the function of the alternative promoter, we engineered a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) expressing ...

Prolactin is expressed in lymphoid cells and differentiating (decidualised) endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) under the control of an alternative upstream promoter, distinct from the pituitary-specific promoter. Local prolactin action may have immunomodulatory effects. Th1/Th2 imbalance may be an important cause of habitual abortions in man but the mechanism is unknown. Recently, we characterised a G/T SNP at position -1149 that altered prolactin production by lymphocytes, and ...

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) influences the differentiation and cytokine secretion of various immune cell types. These immune modulating effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 are mediated through the nuclear vitamin D receptor (VDR). In the immune system, the 1,25(OH)2D3/VDR complex interacts with promoter vitamin D responsive elements (VDRE), or interferes with the signalling of other transcription factor...