Progestin increases gene transcription and messenger ribonucleic acid stability of fatty acid synthetase in breast cancer cells.

The cDNA clone (Pg8) corresponding to the 3'-end of fatty acid synthetase (FAS) mRNA is one of the few probes to study in cell lines the mechanism by which an endogenous gene is regulated by progestins. The steady-state level of FAS mRNA is known to be increased by the synthetic progestin R5020 in the human breast cancer cell line MCF7. We show here that it is also increased in another progesterone-receptor-positive cell line T47D but not in progesterone-receptor-negative cell lines BT20, MDA-MB231, and HBL100. In R5020-treated MCF7 cells, the FAS mRNA concentration increased with cell density. Protein synthesis inhibitors did not abolish progestin induction of FAS suggesting a primary effect of the hormone. In vitro nuclear run-on transcription assays showed that the FAS gene transcription rate was increased about 4-fold by progestin. This stimulation of transcription was detectable 30 min after addition of R5020 and was maximal after 4 h, but could not totally account for the total increase in the mRNA steady state level. Chase experiments in the presence of Actinomycin D or Cordycepin showed that progestin also increased the half-life of FAS mRNA from 6-9 h to 24-33 h. We conclude that progestin stimulates the FAS concentration both by increasing the transcription rate of the gene and by stabilizing the mRNA.