Two isoforms of gonadotropin-releasing hormone are coexpressed in neuronal cell lines

Human myometrium and leiomyomas express gonadotropin-releasing hormone 2 and gonadotropin-releasing hormone 2 receptor

OBJECTIVE

To determine the presence or absence of a second form of GnRH (GnRH2) and corresponding receptor (GnRHR2) in human uterine myometrium and leiomyomata.

DESIGN

Evaluation of human leiomyoma and patient-matched myometrium of differential mRNA and protein expression of GnRH2 and GnRHR2.

SETTING

University hospital.

PATIENT(S)

Eight women undergoing medically indicated hysterectomy for symptomatic fibroids.

INTERVENTION(S)

Microarray analysis, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), real-time RT-PCR, and immunohistochemistry.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Expression of mRNA and protein in leiomyoma and patient-matched myometrium.

RESULT(S)

Microarray analysis demonstrated expression, and we confirmed the findings by RT-PCR. Real-time RT-PCR demonstrated equivalent expression of the genes in leiomyoma compared with patient-matched myometrium (0.99-fold for GnRH2 and 1.28-fold for GnRHR2). Immunohistochemistry confirmed the expression of GnRH2 protein in both leiomyoma and myometrium.

CONCLUSION(S)

A second form of GnRH and corresponding receptor exists in the fibroid and myometrium. We speculate that an autocrine loop exists. Our findings provide further evidence that GnRH agonists may interact directly with GnRH receptors present in uterine fibroids.

Role of gonadotropin-releasing hormone II in the mammalian nervous system

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a small neuropeptide of which there are multiple structural variants. The first variant identified in mammals, GnRH I, controls the release of pituitary gonadotropins. More recently, a second isoform, GnRH II, first isolated in the bird, was identified in the mammalian brain and periphery. Although it is unlikely to be a primary regulator of gonadotropin release, GnRH II appears to have a wide array of physiological and behavioral functions. GnRH II-containing fibers are present in several nuclei known to regulate reproduction and/or feeding, and its concentration in several of these areas fluctuates in response to changes in food availability, and thus energetic status. In musk shrews, GnRH II acts as a permissive regulator of female reproductive behavior based on energy status, as well as an inhibitor of short-term food intake. In this regard, GnRH II is similar to leptin, neuropeptide Y and several other neurotransmitters that regulate both feeding and reproduction. At least two GnRH receptors are present in the mammalian brain, and increasing evidence suggests that the behavioral effects of GnRH II are mediated by receptor subtypes distinct from the type-1 GnRH receptor (which mediates GnRH I action); the most probable candidate is the type-2 GnRH receptor. GnRH II also regulates the density and/or activity of calcium and potassium channels in the nervous systems of amphibians and fish, a function that may also exist in mammalian neurons. It is likely that the highly conserved GnRH II system has been co-opted over evolutionary time to possess multiple regulatory functions in a broad range of neurobiological aspects.

Expression and transcriptional regulation of the GnRH receptor gene in human neuronal cells

GnRH, acts via the GnRH receptor (GnRHR), plays a pivotal role in human reproduction by stimulating the synthesis and secretion of gonadotropins from pituitary gonadotropes. Studies have also suggested that it has other extra-pituitary functions. To date, the transcriptional regulation of human GnRHR gene in the brain remains largely unknown. Recently, the human cerebellar medulloblastoma cell line TE-671 is found to express GnRH. We report here for the first time that GnRHR is also expressed in this neuronal cell line. Treatment with GnRHR agonist stimulated the phosphorylation of both ERK1/2 and JNK in the cells. Moreover, transient transfection of various human GnRHR promoter-luciferase constructs into the cells identified an upstream promoter region located between -2197 and -1018. Important cis-acting regulatory elements were found at -1300/-1018 and -2197/- 1900, as deletion of either region caused a dramatic decrease in the promoter activity. An upstream GnRHR promoter element was identified to be important for basal transcription in the human neuronal TE-671 cells, in contrast to the previous finding that a downstream promoter is responsible for the gonadotrope-specific expression. Furthermore, we showed that antide (GnRHR antagonist) significantly stimulated the GnRHR promoter activity and inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) pathway by staurosporine could also up-regulate the promoter activity in dose- and time-dependent manners. Taken together, these data suggest that activation of the GnRHR by interacting with GnRH may transcriptionally down-regulate itself via the PKC pathway in human neuronal cells.

Molecular biology of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-I, GnRH-II, and their receptors in humans

In human beings, two forms of GnRH, termed GnRH-I and GnRH-II, encoded by separate genes have been identified. Although these hormones share comparable cDNA and genomic structures, their tissue distribution and regulation of gene expression are significantly dissimilar. The actions of GnRH are mediated by the GnRH receptor, which belongs to a member of the rhodopsin-like G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. However, to date, only one conventional GnRH receptor subtype (type I GnRH receptor) uniquely lacking a carboxyl-terminal tail has been found in the human body. Studies on the transcriptional regulation of the human GnRH receptor gene have indicated that tissue-specific gene expression is mediated by differential promoter usage in various cell types. Functionally, there is growing evidence showing that both GnRH-I and GnRH-II are potentially important autocrine and/or paracrine regulators in some extrapituitary compartments. Recent cloning of a second GnRH receptor subtype (type II GnRH receptor) in nonhuman primates revealed that it is structurally and functionally distinct from the mammalian type I receptor. However, the human type II receptor gene homolog carries a frameshift and a premature stop codon, suggesting that a full-length type II receptor does not exist in humans.

A critical role for the evolutionarily conserved gonadotropin-releasing hormone II: mediation of energy status and female sexual behavior

GnRH is an evolutionarily conserved neuropeptide, of which there are multiple structural variants; the function of the most widespread variant, GnRH-II, remains undefined. GnRH-II may affect reproductive behavior; GnRH-II administration to female musk shrews reinstates mating behavior previously inhibited by food restriction. To determine whether this action of GnRH-II is universal, we conducted the following studies in mice. Ovariectomized mice were primed with estradiol benzoate and progesterone once a week and tested for sexual behavior. Females showing a lordosis quotient (LQ) of 50 or higher on the fourth trial underwent food deprivation (FD) for either 24 or 48 h before an additional behavior test. FD for 48 h significantly reduced LQ compared with ad libitum-fed females. Next, females were FD for 48 h or maintained on ad libitum feeding and retested for sexual behavior after an intracerebroventricular infusion of either GnRH-I, GnRH-II, or saline. GnRH-II, but not GnRH-I, significantly increased LQ in FD females compared with FD females treated with saline. Lordosis was unaffected by GnRH-II in females maintained on ad libitum feeding. To assess whether the GnRH-I receptor mediates GnRH-II's behavioral effects, underfed females were pretreated with the type 1 GnRH receptor antagonist Antide and retested for sexual behavior. Antide pretreatment did not prevent GnRH-II from promoting mating behavior, suggesting that GnRH-II's behavioral actions are mediated through the type 2 GnRH receptor. We speculate that GnRH-II acts via its own receptor as a regulatory signal in mammals to ensure that reproduction is synchronized with energetically favorable conditions.

Evidence for different gonadotropin-releasing hormone response sites in rat ovarian and pituitary cells

The participation of type I GnRH receptor (GnRH-R) on GnRH-II-induced gonadotropin secretion in rat pituitary cells was investigated. Furthermore, we extended the study of GnRH-II action to ovarian cells. The GnRH-II was able to mobilize inositol triphosphate (IP(3)) and to induce LH and FSH release in a dose-dependent manner in pituitary cells and in a GnRH-I-like manner. The GnRH-analog 135-18 (agonist for type II GnRH-R and antagonist for type I GnRH-R) was unable to elicit any cellular response tested in these pituitary cells. The GnRH-II responses were blocked by the type I GnRH-R-antagonists CRX or 135-18, suggesting that these effects were mediated by the type I GnRH-R. In contrast to pituitary cells, GnRH-I, but not GnRH-II, elicited an IP(3) response in superovulated ovarian cells; 135-18 also had no effect. However, GnRH-II as well as GnRH-I presented antiproliferative effects on these cells. Surprisingly, 135-18 had stronger antiproliferative effects than either GnRH peptide. The 135-18 analog, but not GnRH-I or GnRH-II, increased progesterone secretion in superovulated ovarian cells. These results strongly suggest that GnRH-II is able to stimulate rat pituitary cells through the type I GnRH-R, with no evidence for the presence of type II GnRH-R. On the other hand, our results indicate a putative GnRH-R in superovulated ovarian cells with response characteristics that differ from those of the GnRH-R in the pituitary.

Functional cooperation between multiple regulatory elements in the untranslated exon 1 stimulates the basal transcription of the human GnRH-II gene

The wide distribution of GnRH-II and conservation of its structure over all vertebrate classes suggest that the neuropeptide possesses vital biological functions. Although recent studies have shown that the expression of the human GnRH-II gene is regulated by cAMP and estrogen, the molecular mechanisms governing its basal transcription remain poorly understood. Using the neuronal TE-671 and placental JEG-3 cells, we showed that the minimal human GnRH-II promoter was located between nucleotide -1124 and -750 (relative to the translation start codon) and that the untranslated exon 1 was important to produce full promoter activity. Two putative E-box binding sites and one Ets-like element were identified within the first exon, and mutational analysis demonstrated that these cis-acting elements functioned cooperatively to stimulate the human GnRH-II gene transcription. EMSAs, UV cross-linking, and Southwestern blot analyses indicated that the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor AP-4 bound specifically to the two E-box binding sites, whereas an unidentified protein bound to the Ets-like element. The functional importance of AP-4 in controlling human GnRH-II gene transcription was demonstrated by overexpression of sense and antisense full-length AP-4 cDNAs. Taken together, our present data demonstrate a novel mechanism in stimulating basal human GnRH-II gene transcription mediated by cooperative actions of multiple regulatory elements within the untranslated first exon of the gene.

The neuropeptides GnRH-II and GnRH-I are produced by human T cells and trigger laminin receptor gene expression, adhesion, chemotaxis and homing to specific organs

Can T cells be directly activated to de novo gene expression by gonadotropin-releasing hormone-II (GnRH-II), a unique 10-amino-acid neuropeptide conserved through 500 million years of evolution? GnRH-II, which has been identified in mammals, shares 70% homology with the mammalian hypothalamic neurohormone GnRH (GnRH-I), the primary regulator of reproduction, but is encoded by a different gene. Although both neuropeptides are produced mainly in brain, their localization and promoter regulation differ, suggestive of distinct functions. Indeed, GnRH-II barely affects reproduction and its role in mammalian physiology is unknown. We find here that human normal and leukemic T cells produce GnRH-II and GnRH-I. Further, exposure of normal or cancerous human or mouse T cells to GnRH-II or GnRH-I triggered de novo gene transcription and cell-surface expression of a 67-kD non-integrin laminin receptor that is involved in cellular adhesion and migration and in tumor invasion and metastasis. GnRH-II or GnRH-I also induced adhesion to laminin and chemotaxis toward SDF-1alpha, and augmented entry in vivo of metastatic T-lymphoma into the spleen and bone marrow. Homing of normal T cells into specific organs was reduced in mice lacking GnRH-I. A specific GnRH-I-receptor antagonist blocked GnRH-I- but not GnRH-II-induced effects, which is suggestive of signaling through distinct receptors. We suggest that GnRH-II and GnRH-I, secreted from nerves or autocrine or paracrine sources, interact directly with T cells and trigger gene transcription, adhesion, chemotaxis and homing to specific organs, which may be of clinical relevance.

Transcriptional regulation of the human GnRH II gene is mediated by a putative cAMP response element

Human neuronal medulloblastoma cells (TE-671) were recently demonstrated to express the two forms of GnRH (GnRH-I and GnRH-II). We have used this cell line as a model system to demonstrate regulation of the human GnRH-II gene by cAMP. RT-PCR and Southern hybridization demonstrated that GnRH-II mRNA is strongly up-regulated ( approximately 6-fold) by (Bu)(2)cAMP. The concentration of GnRH-II that was released into the medium of TE-671 cells treated with the cAMP analog was significantly higher than that of the untreated cells. TE-671 cells that were stimulated by (Bu)(2)cAMP demonstrated morphological changes and strong immunoreactive GnRH-II staining in part of the cell population. After screening of the GnRH-II promoter sequence, we identified a putative cAMP response element consensus site. The GnRH-I and GnRH-II promoters were isolated by PCR using human genomic DNA and cloned into the luciferase reporter plasmid. By measuring the basal activity of the promoters that were transfected to TE-671 cells, we found a much stronger basal activity of the GnRH-II promoter compared with that of GnRH-I. Treatment of transfected TE-671 cells with (Bu)(2)cAMP resulted in a strong activation of the GnRH-II promoter compared with a modest activation of the GnRH-I promoter. To determine the functionality of this putative cAMP response element site, we mutated this site. TE-671 cells that were transfected with cAMP response element mutant constructs demonstrated a diminished basal activity of the GnRH-II promoter. Treatment of the transfected cells with the cAMP analog demonstrated a decrease to 0.03% of the activity of the mutated promoter compared with that of the wild type. These results clearly demonstrate the importance of the putative cAMP response element site for the basal activity as well as for induction of the GnRH-II promoter by cAMP.