PMID: 2485692Mar 1, 1989Paper

Development of progestin-specific response in the chicken oviduct

The International Journal of Developmental Biology
P J TuohimaaM S Kulomaa

Abstract

Avidin is a host acute defense protein induced by progestins and by inflammation caused by injurious factors such as microbes, viruses, toxic factors or tissue trauma. In the reproductive tract of egg-laying vertebrates avidin has evolved into a progestin-dependent secretory protein involved in anti-microbial action through its biotin avidity. For "progestin-dependent avidin" production, cellular differentiation by estrogen is necessary. In contrast, the expression of "progestin-independent or inflammation-induced avidin" does not require differentiation. Many cell types such as macrophages, heterophils and fibroblasts can produce avidin after non-specific cellular injuries. The wide distribution of avidin in avian, reptilian and amphibian species could be explained on the basis of its vital functions such as antimicrobial or antifungal, metabolic and immunomodulatory actions. The ontogeny of the progestin-dependent avidin synthesis is a complex event involving oviductal differentiation by steroid hormones leading to a specific gene expression. The first phase in oviductal differentiation by estrogens is characterized by a new chromatin organization and by an infiltration of progesterone receptor (PR)-containing mesenchymal cel...Continue Reading

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