Inducibility of the avidin gene by progesterone is suppressed during estrogen-induced cytodifferentiation.

Abstract We have studied epithelial differentiation of the chick oviduct as induced by diethylstilbestrol (DES) and 17β-estradiol (E 2 ). The proportion of goblet cells in the oviduct was slightly higher after E 2 than after DES treatment. Also avidin induction by progesterone was stronger following DES than E 2 priming. In the estrogen pretreated oviduct epithelium, avidin expression was induced by progesterone in the surface epithelial cells, protodifferentiated gland cells and tubular gland cells, but not in goblet cells. During prolonged estrogen treatment, however, the inducibility of avidin by progesterone ceased in tubular gland cells but not in surface epithelial cells. The estrogen…