A 35-bp Conserved Region Is Crucial for Promoter Activity in Mouse MA-10 Leydig Cells.

The peptide hormone insulin-like 3 (INSL3) is produced almost exclusively by Leydig cells of the male gonad. INSL3 has several functions such as fetal testis descent and bone metabolism in adults. gene expression in Leydig cells is not hormonally regulated but rather is constitutively expressed. The regulatory region of the gene has been described in various species; moreover, functional studies have revealed that the promoter is regulated by various transcription factors that include the nuclear receptors AR, NUR77, COUP-TFII, LRH1, and SF1, as well as the Krüppel-like factor KLF6. However, these transcription factors are also found in several tissues that do not express , indicating that other, yet unidentified factors, must be involved to drive expression specifically in Leydig cells. Through a fine functional promoter analysis, we have identified a 35-bp region that is responsible for conferring 70% of the activity of the mouse promoter in Leydig cells. All tri- and dinucleotide mutations introduced dramatically reduced promoter activity, indicating that the entire 35-bp sequence is required. Nuclear proteins from MA-10 Leydig cells bound specifically to the 35-bp region. The 35-bp sequence contains GC- and GA-rich motifs as well as potential binding elements for members of the CREB, C/EBP, AP1, AP2, and NF-κB families. The promoter was indeed activated 2-fold by NF-κB p50 but not by other transcription factors tested. These results help to further define the regulation of gene transcription in Leydig cells.