Frim D M, Emanuel R L, Robinson B G, Smas C M, Adler G K, Majzoub J A
Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115.
J Clin Invest. 1988 Jul;82(1):287-92. doi: 10.1172/JCI113585.
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), a hypothalamic neuropeptide involved in the regulation of ACTH secretion, has been detected by RIA in extracts of human placenta. We wished to determine whether this immunoreactive substance is a product of CRH gene expression in the placenta. We have found authentic human CRH (hCRH) mRNA in human placental tissue that is similar in size to hypothalamic CRH mRNA. Furthermore, the transcriptional initiation site for placental hCRH mRNA is identical to that previously predicted for hypothalamic hCRH mRNA, 23-26 nucleotides downstream from a canonical promoter element. Placental hCRH mRNA increases more than 20-fold in the 5 wk preceding parturition, in parallel with a rise in placental hCRH peptide content. These data strongly suggest that the hCRH gene is expressed in the placenta and that this expression changes dramatically during gestation.
促肾上腺皮质激素释放激素（CRH）是一种参与促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）分泌调节的下丘脑神经肽，已通过放射免疫分析（RIA）在人胎盘提取物中检测到。我们希望确定这种免疫反应性物质是否是胎盘CRH基因表达的产物。我们在人胎盘组织中发现了真实的人CRH（hCRH）mRNA，其大小与下丘脑CRH mRNA相似。此外，胎盘hCRH mRNA的转录起始位点与先前预测的下丘脑hCRH mRNA的转录起始位点相同，位于典型启动子元件下游23 - 26个核苷酸处。胎盘hCRH mRNA在分娩前5周增加超过20倍，同时胎盘hCRH肽含量也升高。这些数据强烈表明hCRH基因在胎盘中表达，并且这种表达在妊娠期间发生显著变化。
