Characterization and transcriptional regulation analysis of the porcine PAQR6 gene.

Progestin and adipoQ receptor family member VI (PAQR6) is a new member of the Progestin and adipoQ receptors (PAQRs) family that functions as an important factor in the nongenomic actions of rapid steroid response. Considering the important role of PAQR6 in these nongenomic actions, we determined porcine PAQR6 expression and regulation. We cloned the cDNA of porcine PAQR6 and analyzed its genomic structure. Subcellular localization analysis showed that PAQR6-green fluorescent protein fusion protein was distributed in cytoplasm. Spatial expression patterns analysis revealed that porcine PAQR6 was more highly expressed in small intestinal than in other tissues. To investigate the regulatory mechanism of porcine PAQR6, we cloned approximately 1.5 kb of porcine PAQR6 5'-regulatory region and generated sequential deletion constructs and evaluated their activity in a dual-luciferase reporter assay. The results suggested that the core promoter region of this gene is located in the first exon region from +90 to +241. Site-directed mutagenesis indicated that adiponectin receptor protein 1, E2F transcription factor 1, and Sp1 transcription factor might be important transcription factors for porcine PAQR6. This study is the first attempt to elucidate the transcriptional regulation of porcine PAQR6, which established a foundation for further study and contributed to the deeper investigation of the regulation and function of PAQR6.