Abstract
Steriod hormones are involved in many physiological processes, including tissue-specific gene expression, homeostasis, and development. The chick oviduct represents an excellent system in which to study many of these events, as it is highly steriod responsive. Here, we report the cloning of chick HNF-3 beta from an oviduct cDNA library and its expression pattern in adult tissues and in the developing oviduct in response to estrogen treatment. Overall, cHNF-3 beta was expressed at high levels in the immature chick oviduct and lung and, to a lesser extent, in the liver, kidney, and muscle. This expression pattern is divergent from that of mammalian HNF-3 beta , which is not expressed in kidney or muscle. Furthermore, several lengths of cHNF-3 beta mRNA transcripts were detected that were expressed tissue specifically. Interestingly, cHNF-3 beta mRNA levels were differentially influenced by estrogen as a result of a post-transcriptional effect on the cHNF-3 beta message in some tissues. Finally, a role for cHNF-3 beta is proposed in the estrogen-stimulated differentiation and development of the oviduct, as cHNF-3 beta mRNA expression is induced in the early stages of oviduct development and declines as the animal becomes sexually mature.
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