Hisao Seo

The POU-domain protein Oct-1 is widely expressed in adult rat organs

The cDNA encoding a rat Oct-1 POU-domain was cloned by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method and subsequently Oct-1 mRNA expression was investigated. Our results show that the POU-domain of Oct-1 has been highly conserved during vertebrate evolution and that Oct-1 mRNA is widely expressed in various organs of adult rat.

Poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) synthesis in the anterior pituitary of the female rat throughout the estrous cycle: Study of possible relation to cell proliferation and prolactin gene expression

To investigate whether cell proliferation and PRL gene expression in female rat pituitary during estrous cycle were mediated by the poly (ADP)-ribosylation of chromatin proteins, anterior pituitaries at different estrous cycle were obtained from female Wistar rats, and poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis, DNA synthesis, PRL and GH messenger RNAs and PRL content in the pituitary, and serum concentrations of PRL and estradiol were analyzed. From diestrus to proestrus, poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis, the contents of PRL messenger RNA and PRL in the pituitary increased significantly, and decreased at estrus. However, DNA synthesis and serum concentration of PRL showed a significant increase from proestrus to estrus. Serum estradiol concentration increased from diestrus to proestrus. No significant change was observed in the pituitary GH messenger RNA content during estrous cycle. The increase of PRL messenger RNA from diestrus to proestrus was abolished completely by the administration of nicotinamide, an inhibitor of poly (ADP-ribose) synthesis, to rats at diestrus. These results indicate that poly (ADP)-ribosylation of chromatin proteins may play some role in cell proliferation and transcription of PRL gene during rat estrous cycle.