先前的研究文獻指出，纖維母細胞生長因子-9 是神經細胞、前列腺細胞以及肺間質細胞的致裂原生長因子，可受類固醇賀爾蒙的調控，進而增加促性腺激素刺激生殖腺類固醇生成細胞的類固醇分泌。在生物胚胎發育時期，缺乏纖維母細胞生長因子-9 表現的小鼠，其性別轉換有從雄性轉變成為雌性，睪丸曲細精管發育不全的情況發生。顯示出纖維母細胞生長因子-9 在類固醇生成上扮演很重要的角色。我們先前的研究結果指出，在未成熟的雄性小鼠萊氏細胞，纖維母細胞生長因子-9是藉由結合到特定的纖維母細胞生長因子接受器3lllc，進一步的透過活化Ras-MAPK，PI3K以及PKA訊息傳遞機制而增加固醇類生合成急性調控蛋白表現以及睪固酮的生合成產量。然而，纖維母細胞生長因子-9刺激睪固酮的生成是透過如何調控固醇類生合成急性調控蛋白基因表現的分子調控機制，至今仍然未有定論。因此，本篇論文的目的在於探討纖維母細胞生長因子-9是否是透過活化依賴性環狀單磷酸環腺苷相關的轉錄因子去調控固醇類生合成急性調控蛋白啟動子上的特殊片段，而影響固醇類的生合成。近期內分泌分子機制的研究，常使用MA-10小鼠萊氏腫瘤細胞株作為動物細胞模式，由於此細胞株的17α羥化酶酵素量很低，所以偵測黃體酮為固醇類最終產物。結果顯示，隨著濃度的增加，纖維母細胞生長因子-9具有刺激黃體酮的生成。另外，我們在MA-10小鼠的萊氏腫瘤細胞上也偵測到FGFR2lllb, FGFR2lllc, FGFR3lllb, 以及FGFR3lllc這四種纖維母細胞生長因子接受器傳訊著核醣核酸的表現。西方點墨法結果顯示，纖維母細胞生長因子-9能有效刺激固醇類生合成急性調控蛋白的蛋白表現。進一步，我們使用已建構完成的載體，此載體帶有冷光酶的報導基因及全長1.3 kb的固醇類生合成急性調控蛋白啟動子的基因序列，將其轉植入MA-10小鼠的萊氏腫瘤細胞大量表現。根據測量轉殖後啟動子的活性結果，顯示纖維母細胞生長因子-9無法調控固醇類生合成急性調控蛋白啟動子的轉錄活性。然而，文獻顯示，在MA-10小鼠的萊氏腫瘤細胞中，經由環狀單磷酸環腺苷刺激固醇類的生合成機制是透過ERK 1/2 MEPK kinase磷酸化，繼而促使固醇類生合成急性調控蛋白基因的轉錄。相同的，我們證實在MA-10小鼠的萊氏腫瘤細胞中，纖維母細胞生長因子-9能有效刺激ERK 1/2 MAPK kinase的磷酸化，此磷酸化的現象可被我們加入的MAPK抑制劑U0126而抑制。 然而，MAPK抑制劑對纖維母細胞生長因子-9調控固醇類生合成急性調控蛋白的表現仍待未來進一步研究。總結，這些結果指出在MA-10小鼠的萊氏腫瘤細胞，纖維母細胞生長因子-9可能是透過調控MEPK-ERK訊息傳遞路徑，進而影響固醇類的生合成。

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