Popis: |
Glucocorticoids are vital for life and regulate an array of physiological functions by binding to the ubiquitously expressed glucocorticoid receptor (GR, also known as NR3C1). Previous studies demonstrate striking breed differences in plasma cortisol levels in pigs. However, investigation into the breed-dependent GR transcriptional regulation is hampered by lacking porcine GR promoter information. In this study, we sequenced 5.3 kb upstream of the translation start codon of the porcine GR gene, and identified seven alternative 5'-untranslated exons 1-4, 1-5, 1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 1-9,10 and 1-11. Among all these mRNA variants, exons 1-4 and 1-5, as well as the total GR were expressed significantly (P |