Expression of PGF(2alpha) receptor mRNA in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic skin.

Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Northern blot analysis was used to determine the level of expression of prostaglandin F(2alpha) (FP) receptor mRNA in various mouse tissues, including normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic mouse epidermis. Steady-state concentrations of FP receptor mRNA were low in normal and hyperplastic epidermis. The response of the epidermis to the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) was biphasic in that FP receptor mRNA was increased immediately after treatment, followed by a long-lasting down-regulation at later time points. FP receptor mRNA was down-regulated in the majority of papillomas obtained by the mouse skin carcinogenesis initiation-promotion protocol. In carcinomas, FP receptor mRNA expression was similar to that in normal epidermis. The steady-state concentration of FP mRNA was inversely correlated with PGF(2alpha) levels in normal and hyperplastic epidermis and in papillomas, indicating that FP mRNA expression is regulated by this eicosanoid.