Molecular Cloning, Expression, and Characterization of Rat Homolog of Human AP-2 That Stimulates Neuropeptide Y Transcription Activity in Response to Nerve Growth Factor Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • AbstractNeuropeptide Y (NPY) plays an important role in the central regulation of neuronal activity, endocrine and sexual behavior, and food intake. Although transcription activity of the NPY gene in PC12 cells is regulated by a number of agents such as nerve growth factor (NGF), the mechanism responsible for the NGF-elicited increase in the transcription of the NPY gene remains to be explored. In this study, we isolated and characterized a nuclear protein that is bound to NGF-response elements (NGFRE) that lie between nucleotide 87 and 33 of the rat NPY promoter gene. This nuclear protein is identical to the rat homolog of human transcription factor AP-2. We further demonstrated that rat AP-2 promotes efficient NPY transcription activity in response to NGF. Finally, we provide direct evidence that the mice lacking transcription factor AP-2 exhibit reduced expression of NPY mRNA compared with wild-type mice, further supporting the hypothesis that AP-2 is an important transcription factor in regulating NPY transcription activity.

published proceedings

  • Molecular Endocrinology

author list (cited authors)

  • Li, B., Kramer, P. R., Zhao, W., Ma, W. u., Stenger, D. A., & Zhang, L.

citation count

  • 15

complete list of authors

  • Li, Bing-Sheng||Kramer, Phillip R||Zhao, Weiqin||Ma, Wu||Stenger, David A||Zhang, Lei

publication date

  • June 2000