Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Little Rock, Arkansas » Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #151502
Title: ALTERED LEVELS OF GROWTH-RELATED AND NOVEL GENE TRANSCRIPTS IN REPRODUCTIVE AND OTHER TISSUES OF FEMALE MICE OVEREXPRESSING SPERMIDINE/SPERMINE N1-ACETYLTRANSFERASE (SSAT)

Author
item MIN, SEOK HONG - UNIV/FLORIDA
item SIMMEN, ROSALIA - UAMS
item ALHONEN, LEENA - ROSWELL PRK CANCER INST
item HALMEKYTO, MARIA - ROSWELL PRK CANCER INSTIT
item PORTER, CARL - ROSEWLL PRK CANCER INSTIT
item JANNE, JUHANI - UNIV/KUOPIO-FINLAND
item SIMMEN, FRANK - UAMS

Submitted to: Journal of Biological Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/7/2001
Publication Date: 11/14/2001
Citation: MIN, S., SIMMEN, R.C., ALHONEN, L., HALMEKYTO, M., PORTER, C.W., JANNE, J., SIMMEN, F.A. ALTERED LEVELS OF GROWTH-RELATED AND NOVEL GENE TRANSCRIPTS IN REPRODUCTIVE AND OTHER TISSUES OF FEMALE MICE OVEREXPRESSING SPERMIDINE/SPERMINE N1-ACETYLTRANSFERASE (SSAT). JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 2001. v. 277(5). p. 3647-3657.

Interpretive Summary: Polyamines are small positively charged molecules which are made by the cells of the body and also are taken in through the diet. Polyamines seem to be involved in many important processes within the body's cells. We studied the enzymes that determine the final levels of polyamines within cells to see if these can affect the development and function of the uterus and ovaries of mice. The results we found strongly suggest that polyamines are indeed very important for health of the reproductive tissues of the female. This may provide a new example of the connection between nutrition and reproductive efficiency of the female.

Technical Abstract: Overexpression of SSAT (polyamine catabolic enzyme) in female mice results in impaired ovarian folliculogenesis and uterine hypoplasia. To identify the molecular basis for this, the gene expression profiles in uterus and ovary and for comparison, liver and kidney, from non-transgenic (NT) and SSAT transgenic (ST) mice were compared. The mRNA abundance for lipoprotein lipase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase was elevated in all four ST (>NT) tissues. The translation initiation factor-3 subunit 5 mRNA, and transcripts related to endogenous murine leukemia provirus (MLV-related) and murine retrovirus-related sequences (MuRRS) were decreased in ST tissues. A novel calmodulin-related mRNA was strongly induced in ST liver and kidney. SSAT overexpression was associated with increased levels of IGF-binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) in the uterus and ovary, and a reduction in IGFBP-3 mRNA levels in the uterus. Exogenous spermidine and spermine elevated endogenous IGFBP-2 and SSAT mRNA abundance, whereas, putrescine stimulated IGFBP-2 mRNA abundance and transfected IGFBP-2 gene promoter activity in human (Hec-1-A) uterine cells. Sp1 and BTEB1 mRNAs that encode transcription factors for the IGFBP-2 gene also were induced in some ST tissues. The data suggest that SSAT and polyamines are important for the control of molecular pathways underlying reproductive tract tissue growth, phenotype, and function.