JBC, Vol. 251, Issue 2, 524-529, Jan, 1976
Effect of estrogen on gene expression in the chick oviduct. In vitro transcription of the ovalbumin gene in chromatin
S. E. Harris, R. J. Schwartz, M. J. Tsai, B. W. O'Malley and A. K. Roy
RNA was transcribed from chromatin isolated from chick oviduct and spleen
by using RNA polymerase from Escherichia coli. RNA was also transcribed
from whole chick DNA using E. coli RNA polymerase. DNA complementary to
ovalbumin messenger RNA (cDNAov) was then used as a hybridization probe to
estimate the concentration of ovalbumin messenger RNA sequences (mRNAov) in
these in vitro transcripts. Although chromatin from unstimulated chick
oviduct was capable of substantial RNA synthesis, no detectable mRNAov
sequences could be found in the transcript. Likewise, mRNAov sequences
could not be found in RNA synthesized from spleen chromatin using E. coli
RNA polymerase. However, chromatin from estrogen-stimulated chick oviducts
was capable of supporting synthesis of ovalbumin mRNA. We estimate that
approximately 0.01% of the RNA synthesized from estrogen-stimulated
chromatin was mRNAov sequences. When RNA synthesized from chick DNA was
tested with the cDNAov probe, mRNAov sequences could be detected in a
concentration of approximately 10% that found in the RNA transcript from
estrogen-stimulated chromatin. This was as expected if the ovalbumin gene
is considered to be in the "open or derepressed" region of the
estrogen-stimulated oviduct chromatin. Chromatin isolated from chicks
withdrawn from hormone for 12 days was only capable of supporting mRNAov
synthesis in vitro at a level of 5 to 10% of that observed in chromatin
prepared from estrogen-stimulated chicks, thus indicating the requirement
for estrogen to maintain the ovalbumin gene in the available or "open"
state in the majority of oviduct cells. These data militate against
post-transcriptional control as the primary mechanism of steroid hormone
regulation of specific mRNA synthesis in the chick oviduct system, and
favor primary gene derepression as the most likely mechanism for estrogen
induction of ovalbumin synthesis.