Identification of an androgen-repressed mRNA in rat ventral prostate as coding for sulphated glycoprotein 2 by cDNA cloning and sequence analysis.

The concentrations of a small number of mRNAs in the rat ventral prostate increase after castration and then decrease upon androgen treatment. Since the repression of specific gene expression may be important in the regulation of organ growth, we have cloned a cDNA for an androgen-repressed mRNA, the concentration of which increased 17-fold 4 days after castration, and this increase was reversed rapidly by androgen treatment. By sequence analysis the androgen-repressed mRNA was identified as that coding for sulphated glycoprotein 2.