Interplay between estrogens, progestins, retinoic acid and AP-1 on a single regulatory site in the progesterone receptor gene.

Transcriptional regulation of the progesterone receptor gene involves induction by estrogens and down-regulation by progestins, retinoic acid, and AP-1 proteins. We have previously identified an intragenic (+698/+723) estrogen-responsive element present in the progesterone receptor gene, which binds the estradiol receptor and mediates estrogen and 4-OH tamoxifen induction. Progesterone receptor gene expression was equally stimulated by estradiol and 4-OH tamoxifen in the presence of a NH2 terminally deleted estrogen receptor mutant lacking activation function 1, suggesting that activation function 2 was the predominant activation domain. This was confirmed by the lack of activity of an estrogen receptor mutant deleted of activation function 2. Repression by progestins, retinoic acid, and AP-1 was mediated by the same estrogen responsive element although retinoic and progesterone receptors as well as AP-1 proteins did not bind to this element. Repression by these proteins appears to involve different transactivating regions of the estrogen receptor. Repression by retinoic receptors involved only activation function 2 whereas repression by progesterone receptor and AP-1 necessitated both functional domains. Since these proteins act without directly contacting the DNA, it seems likely that repression may be achieved by protein-protein interactions among different domains of the estrogen receptor and/or the transcriptional machinery.