# SEX HORMONE RECEPTOR COMPONENTS AND THE CELL GENOME

> **NIH NIH R37** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 1994 · $396,297

## Abstract

Steroid hormones regulate cell function by binding to cytoplasmic receptor
proteins.  These interact with acceptor sites in target cell nuclei.  There
they induce messenger RNAs for specific cellular proteins which are
responsible for alterations in endocrine physiology.  Progesterone has been
difficult to study at the molecular level in mammalian systems.  We have
therefore characterized the progesterone-sensitive chick oviduct over the
past 14 years and have shown it to be a representative model of steroid
hormone action.

The structure-function relationships of the chicken oviduct progesterone
receptor will be studied in detail.  This hormone binding protein has now
been cloned in our laboratory and following expression in suitable
vector-host systems will be able to be purified in amounts suitable for
detailed protein structural analyses.  The protein's subunit structure, DNA
binding to the ovalbumin, ovomucoid, and hsp108 genes, hormone-binding
mechanism, and effects on endocrine target cells will be studied in vitro.
The hormone binding site will be analyzed finally by X-ray
crystallography.  The origins and relationships of sequence and secondary
structure between subunits will be determined, together with detailed
analysis of contracts between the two subunits in the intact complex.  DNA
interactions of subunit A will be defined precisely with respect to effects
on DNA higher order structure.  A cell-free oviduct transcription system
has been developed for tests of effects of purified receptors in vitro
using purified transcription factors from homologous oviduct cells.

This work should afford us an opportunity to define precisely the molecular
basis of hormone-mediated gene expression, resulting in an advance in our
understanding of endocrine physiology, reproductive biology and steroid
hormone action.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 2196237
- **Project number:** 5R37HD007857-23
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **SAM.gov UEI:** FXKMA43NTV21
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL B MC KEOWN
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1994
- **Award amount:** $396,297
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1977-05-01 → 1997-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2196237

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 2196237, SEX HORMONE RECEPTOR COMPONENTS AND THE CELL GENOME (5R37HD007857-23). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/2196237. Licensed CC0.

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