PMID- 10542371
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19991221
LR  - 20121115
IS  - 1040-452X (Print)
IS  - 1040-452X (Linking)
VI  - 54
IP  - 4
DP  - 1999 Dec
TI  - Structure and expression of the rat relaxin-like factor (RLF) gene.
PG  - 319-25
AB  - The relaxin-like factor (RLF) is a novel member of the insulin-IGF-relaxin family
      of growth factors and hormones, and its mRNA is expressed very specifically in
      the Leydig cells of the testis and in the theca and luteal cells of the ovary.
      Here we report the cloning of the RLF gene and cDNA from the rat. The 0.8kb mRNA 
      is produced from a small gene comprising two exons situated less than 1 kb
      downstream of the gene for the signalling factor JAK3. Northern hybridization
      confirms high RLF mRNA expression in the adult rat testis, and low expression in 
      the ovary, but in no other tissues examined. Northern analysis of fetal and
      neonatal gonadal tissues showed that RLF mRNA is highly upregulated in the testes
      of day 19 embryos, but not in later neonatal stages, nor in any ovarian tissue
      from this period. This would indicate that RLF is a marker for the mature fetal
      as well as the adult-type Leydig cell, but is not expressed in premature,
      precursor, or dedifferentiated Leydig cells of either cell type. Finally, RNA was
      analysed from the testes of rats which had been treated with ethylene dimethane
      sulfonate (EDS), an alkylating agent that specifically destroys rat Leydig cells.
      RLF mRNA was absent from the acutely treated testes, but became detectable
      between 15 and 20 days post-treatment, concomitant with the repopulation of the
      testes by new Leydig cells. Continuous testosterone substitution of EDS-treated
      rats suppressed the production of gonadotropins, and LH-dependent Leydig cell
      differentiation, with the result that RLF mRNA remained undetectable throughout
      the study period. In conclusion, RLF is a very specific marker for the mature
      Leydig cell phenotype in both the adult-type and fetal Leydig cell populations of
      the rat testis.
CI  - Copyright 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
FAU - Spiess, A N
AU  - Spiess AN
AD  - Institute for Hormone and Fertility Research, University of Hamburg, Hamburg,
      Germany.
FAU - Balvers, M
AU  - Balvers M
FAU - Tena-Sempere, M
AU  - Tena-Sempere M
FAU - Huhtaniemi, I
AU  - Huhtaniemi I
FAU - Parry, L
AU  - Parry L
FAU - Ivell, R
AU  - Ivell R
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
PL  - United States
TA  - Mol Reprod Dev
JT  - Molecular reproduction and development
JID - 8903333
RN  - 0 (DNA, Complementary)
RN  - 0 (Insulin)
RN  - 0 (Jak3 protein, rat)
RN  - 0 (Leydig insulin-like protein)
RN  - 0 (Proteins)
RN  - EC 2.7.10.1 (Protein-Tyrosine Kinases)
RN  - EC 2.7.10.2 (Jak3 protein, mouse)
RN  - EC 2.7.10.2 (Janus Kinase 3)
SB  - IM
MH  - Amino Acid Sequence
MH  - Animals
MH  - Base Sequence
MH  - Blotting, Northern
MH  - Cloning, Molecular
MH  - DNA, Complementary/*analysis
MH  - Female
MH  - *Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
MH  - Insulin
MH  - Janus Kinase 3
MH  - Leydig Cells/chemistry
MH  - Male
MH  - Mice
MH  - Molecular Sequence Data
MH  - Polymerase Chain Reaction
MH  - Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics
MH  - Proteins/*genetics/metabolism
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Sprague-Dawley
MH  - Reading Frames/genetics
MH  - Sequence Analysis, DNA
MH  - Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
MH  - Testis/chemistry/embryology
EDAT- 1999/11/05 00:00
MHDA- 1999/11/05 00:01
CRDT- 1999/11/05 00:00
PHST- 1999/11/05 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1999/11/05 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1999/11/05 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2795(199912)54:4<319::AID-MRD1>3.0.CO;2-Z [pii]
AID - 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2795(199912)54:4<319::AID-MRD1>3.0.CO;2-Z [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Mol Reprod Dev. 1999 Dec;54(4):319-25. doi:
      10.1002/(SICI)1098-2795(199912)54:4<319::AID-MRD1>3.0.CO;2-Z.