Promoter analysis of the gene encoding GDNF in murine Sertoli cells

• First characterization of murine GDNF promoter region in Sertoli cells.
• Identification of the transcriptional start sites.
• In-silico analysis of evolutionarily conserved putative transcription factor-binding sites.
• Performed progressive promoter deletions.
• Identification of three CRE sites involved in basal and cAMP-induced expression.

GDNF is a Sertoli-cell-derived factor that controls the balance between self-renewal and differentiation of the spermatogonial stem cells. Although research in recent years has concentrated on the impact of GDNF on target germ cells rather little attention has been paid to the molecular control of GDNF expression in Sertoli cells. Here, we aimed to characterize the promoter region of the mouse gdnf gene active in Sertoli cells. We identified the transcriptional start sites and analyzed the promoter activity of the 5′-flanking regions. By in-silico analysis of evolutionarily conserved DNA sequences we identified several putative transcription factor-binding regions. Deletion analysis showed the involvement of the three CRE sites for basal and cAMP-induced expression of gdnf in murine Sertoli cells. These results provide the basis for future studies to analyze how hormonal or paracrine signals modulate the transcriptional activity of gdnf in Sertoli cells.