scholarly journals Upstream stimulatory factors, USF1 and USF2, bind to the human haem oxygenase-1 proximal promoter in vivo and regulate its transcription

2004 ◽  
Vol 383 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas D. HOCK ◽  
Harry S. NICK ◽  
Anupam AGARWAL

The human HO-1 (haem oxygenase-1) gene encodes a microsomal enzyme responsible for the breakdown of haem, and is also cytoprotective in response to various cellular insults. HO-1 transcription is induced by a vast array of compounds including, but certainly not limited to, haem and heavy metals such as cadmium. In the present study, we show that upstream stimulatory factors, USF1 and USF2, ubiquitous proteins belonging to the basic helix–loop–helix-leucine zipper family of transcription factors, constitutively bind to the class B E-box located in the proximal promoter of the human HO-1 gene and are responsible for the enhancement of HO-1 gene transcription in human renal proximal tubular epithelial cells. Dimethylsulphate in vivo footprinting studies have identified three protected guanine residues in the E-box of the HO-1 proximal promoter. One of these guanine contact points is essential for USF binding, and when mutated mimics a deletion mutation of the entire E-box palindrome sequence encompassing all three guanine contact points. Binding of USF1 and USF2 to the HO-1 E-box was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and gel-shift assays. Furthermore, we show that overexpression of USF1 or USF2 enhances the basal expression of HO-1 and that expression of a USF dominant negative form reduces its expression. These results demonstrate for the first time that USF proteins bind to the human HO-1 promoter in vivo and are required for high-level expression of HO-1 by haem and cadmium in human renal epithelial cells.

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
R S Carter ◽  
P Ordentlich ◽  
T Kadesch

The microE3 E box within the immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) enhancer binds several proteins of the basic helix-loop-helix-leucine zipper (bHLHzip) class, including TFE3, USF1, and Max. Both TFE3 and USF have been described as transcriptional activators, and so we investigated their possible roles in activating the IgH enhancer in vivo. Although TFE3 activated various enhancer-based reporters, both USF1 and Max effectively inhibited transcription. Inhibition by USF correlated with the lack of a strong activation domain and was the result of the protein neutralizing the microE3 site. The effects of dominant-negative derivatives of TFE3 and USF1 confirmed that TFE3, or a TFE3-like protein, is the primary cellular bHLHzip protein that activates the IgH enhancer. In addition to providing a physiological role for TFE3, our results call into question the traditional view of USF1 as an obligate transcriptional activator.


1999 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 7589-7599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariano Ubeda ◽  
Mario Vallejo ◽  
Joel F. Habener

ABSTRACT The transcription factor CHOP (C/EBP homologous protein 10) is a bZIP protein induced by a variety of stimuli that evoke cellular stress responses and has been shown to arrest cell growth and to promote programmed cell death. CHOP cannot form homodimers but forms stable heterodimers with the C/EBP family of activating transcription factors. Although initially characterized as a dominant negative inhibitor of C/EBPs in the activation of gene transcription, CHOP-C/EBP can activate certain target genes. Here we show that CHOP interacts with members of the immediate-early response, growth-promoting AP-1 transcription factor family, JunD, c-Jun, and c-Fos, to activate promoter elements in the somatostatin, JunD, and collagenase genes. The leucine zipper dimerization domain is required for interactions with AP-1 proteins and transactivation of transcription. Analyses by electrophoretic mobility shift assays and by an in vivo mammalian two-hybrid system for protein-protein interactions indicate that CHOP interacts with AP-1 proteins inside cells and suggest that it is recruited to the AP-1 complex by a tethering mechanism rather than by direct binding of DNA. Thus, CHOP not only is a negative or a positive regulator of C/EBP target genes but also, when tethered to AP-1 factors, can activate AP-1 target genes. These findings establish the existence of a new mechanism by which CHOP regulates gene expression when cells are exposed to cellular stress.


2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (3) ◽  
pp. L390-L399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane K. Mellott ◽  
Harry S. Nick ◽  
Michael F. Waters ◽  
Timothy R. Billiar ◽  
David A. Geller ◽  
...  

Transcription of the human inducible nitric oxide synthase ( iNOS) gene is regulated by inflammatory cytokines in a tissue-specific manner. To determine whether differences in cytokine-induced mRNA levels between pulmonary epithelial cells (A549) and hepatic biliary epithelial cells (AKN-1) result from different protein or DNA regulatory mechanisms, we identified cytokine-induced changes in DNase I-hypersensitive (HS) sites in 13 kb of the iNOS 5′-flanking region. Data showed both constitutive and inducible HS sites in an overlapping yet cell type-specific pattern. Using in vivo footprinting and ligation-mediated PCR to detect potential DNA or protein interactions, we examined one promoter region near −5 kb containing both constitutive and cytokine-induced HS sites. In both cell types, three in vivo footprints were present in both control and cytokine-treated cells, and each mapped within a constitutive HS site. The remaining footprint appeared only in response to cytokine treatment and mapped to an inducible HS site. These studies, performed on chromatin in situ, identify a portion of the molecular mechanisms regulating transcription of the human iNOS gene in both lung- and liver-derived epithelial cells.


2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (6) ◽  
pp. 975-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Coad ◽  
J. R. Dutton ◽  
D. Tosh ◽  
J. M.W. Slack

The biliary system has a close developmental relationship with the pancreas, evidenced by the natural occurrence of small numbers of biliary-derived β-cells in the biliary system and by the replacement of biliary epithelium with pancreatic tissue in mice lacking the transcription factor Hes1. In normal pancreatic development, Hes1 is known to repress endocrine cell formation. Here we show that glucose-responsive insulin secretion can be induced in biliary epithelial cells when activity of the transcription factor Hes1 is antagonised. We describe a new culture system for adult murine gall bladder epithelial cells (GBECs), free from fibroblast contamination. We show that Hes1 is expressed both in adult murine gall bladder and in cultured GBECs. We have created a new dominant negative Hes1 (ΔHes1) by removal of the DNA-binding domain, and show that it antagonises Hes1 function in vivo. When ΔHes1 is introduced into the GBEC it causes expression of insulin RNA and protein. Furthermore, it confers upon the cells the ability to secrete insulin following exposure to increased external glucose. GBEC cultures are induced to express a wider range of mature β cell markers when co-transduced with ΔHes1 and the pancreatic transcription factor Pdx1. Introduction of ΔHes1 and Pdx1 can therefore initiate a partial respecification of phenotype from biliary epithelial cell towards the pancreatic β cell.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (6) ◽  
pp. F1095-F1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin A. Turman ◽  
Courtney A. Apple

Somatostatin modulates several renal tubular cell functions, including gluconeogenesis and proliferation. In this study, we demonstrate that cultured human proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTEC) express somatostatin. We also demonstrate positive and negative regulation of PTEC somatostatin production. We found that PTEC derived from 14 different human donors consistently expressed somatostatin mRNA and/or peptide as detected by RT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunoassay. Furthermore, Northern blot analysis revealed that PTEC express the same size mRNA transcript (750 nucleotides) as human thyroid carcinoma (TT) cells. The PTEC mitogens, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and hydrocortisone, inhibit PTEC somatostatin secretion, whereas forskolin (a direct stimulator of adenylate cyclase) and fetal bovine serum stimulate secretion. These findings raise the possibility that renal-derived somatostatin modulates tubular cell function in an autocrine/paracrine manner. Manipulation of this pathway may lead to novel methods with which to alter tubular cell proliferation and function in vivo.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 1937-1937
Author(s):  
Barbara A.A. Santana-Lemos ◽  
Florence Guibal ◽  
Maria-Carolina Pintao ◽  
Priscila S. Scheucher ◽  
Rodrigo S. Abreu-Lima ◽  
...  

Abstract Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by the infiltration of bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) by leukemic cells presenting a block of differentiation at the stage of promyelocytes. At the cytogenetic level, APL is associated with the t(15;17) which causes the fusion of two genes: Retinoic Receptor α (RARα) and Promyelocytic Leukemia (PML), on chromosomes 17 and 15, respectively. C/EBPα is a leucine zipper transcription factor essential to normal granulopoiesis. Mutations in C/EBPα gene are detected in 6–10% of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) cases and C/EBPα activity is down-regulated by AML1-ETO fusion protein associated with FAB M2 subtype. We decided to test whether PML-RARα interferes with C/EBPα function, thus contributing to the blockage of differentiation characteristic of APL. We generated mutant mice expressing PML-RARα and haploinsufficient for C/EBPα (PR C/EBPα+/−) by crossing hCG PML-RARα transgenic mice (PR TM) and C/EBPα+/−. Leukemia was not detected in WT (n=415) and C/EBPα+/− (n=47) mice after 800 days of follow up. In contrast, 8.2% PR TM (19/233) and 14.9% (13/87) PR C/EBPα+/− mice developed a form of leukemia that closely resembled human APL and identical to that developed by PR TM. The leukemia-free survival was significantly shorter in PR C/EBPα+/− compared to PR TM (644.3 days; 95% Confidence Interval, 95%C.I.: 586.4 – 702.2 vs 718.4 days; 95%C.I.: 689.3 – 747.5, P=0.02). Both groups presented a long latency for the development of the disease with a mean age (95%C.I.) at diagnosis of 399.9 days (184–673) and 495.8 days (215–757) in PR and PR C/EBPα+/−, respectively. PR and PR C/EBPα+/− leukemic mice presented similar WBC counts (107.1 ± 82.65x103vs 63.55 ± 57.82x103cells/ml, P=0.26), hemoglobin concentrations (10.87 ± 3.69 vs 9.92 ± 2.39 g/dl, P =0.57) and platelet counts (283.8 ± 188.7x103vs 177.8 ± 149.5x103platelets/ml, P =0.24). In both groups, the leukemic cells resembled promyelocytes, and expressed the phenotype CD11b+ Gr1+ CD34± c-Kit+, which represented 46.65 ± 26.89%; 32.72 ± 15.16% and 1.91 ± 1.42% of the spleen cells from PR; PR C/EBPα+/− and WT, respectively. In order to isolate PML-RARα leukemic cells and their normal counterparts to gene expression assessment, BM samples from WT mice (pooled from 2 mice), non leukemic PR C/EBPα+/− mice (pooled from 2 mice), and spleen cells from WT and leukemic PR C/EBPα+/− mice were first submitted to red cells lyses, stained with previously conjugated antibodies. Cells expressing CD16/32, CD11b, c-kit and CD34, but neither CD3 nor CD45/B220 were isolated. These cells presented medium to large size with a granular cytoplasm. C/EBPα and PML-RARα expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR in the sorted cells. Compared to WT cells, promyelocytes from leukemic and non leukemic PR C/EBPα+/− mice expressed significantly less C/EBPα, with the lowest levels detected in leukemic samples. As expected, PML-RARα was not detected in WT samples. Comparison between cells suspensions containing similar numbers of promyelocytes revealed that PML-RARα expression was higher in leukemic compared to non leukemic PR C/EBPα+/− mice. In conclusion, our data strongly suggest that PML-RARα fusion protein acts as a dominant negative product on C/EBPα gene expression in a specific subset of early myeloid cells and contribute to the pathogenesis of APL.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 3521-3531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marisa M. Faraldo ◽  
Marie-Ange Deugnier ◽  
Sylvie Tlouzeau ◽  
Jean Paul Thiery ◽  
Marina A. Glukhova

To study the mechanism of β1-integrin function in vivo, we have generated transgenic mouse expressing a dominant negative mutant of β1-integrin under the control of mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) promoter (MMTV-β1-cyto). Mammary glands from MMTV-β1-cyto transgenic females present significant growth defects during pregnancy and lactation and impaired differentiation of secretory epithelial cells at the onset of lactation. We report herein that perturbation of β1-integrin function in involuting mammary gland induced precocious dedifferentiation of the secretory epithelium, as shown by the premature decrease in β-casein and whey acidic protein mRNA levels, accompanied by inactivation of STAT5, a transcription factor essential for mammary gland development and up-regulation of nuclear factor-κB, a negative regulator of STAT5 signaling. This is the first study demonstrating in vivo that cell–extracellular matrix interactions involving β1-integrins play an important role in the control of milk gene transcription and in the maintenance of the mammary epithelial cell differentiated state.


2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 575-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond Reeves ◽  
Dale D. Edberg ◽  
Ying Li

ABSTRACT Numerous studies have demonstrated that overexpression or aberrant expression of the HMGI(Y) family of architectural transcription factors is frequently associated with both neoplastic transformation of cells and metastatic tumor progression. Little is known, however, about the molecular roles played by the HMGI(Y) proteins in these events. Here we report that human breast epithelial cells harboring tetracycline-regulated HMGI(Y) transgenes acquire the ability to form both primary and metastatic tumors in nude mice only when the transgenes are actively expressed. Unexpectedly, the HMG-Y, rather than the HMG-I, isoform of these proteins is the most effective elicitor of both neoplastic transformation and metastatic progression in vivo. Furthermore, expression of either antisense or dominant-negative HMGI(Y) constructs inhibits both the rate of proliferation of tumor cells and their ability to grow anchorage independently in soft agar. Array analysis of transcription profiles demonstrates that the HMG-I and HMG-Y isoform proteins each modulate the expression of distinctive constellations of genes known to be involved in signal transduction, cell proliferation, tumor initiation, invasion, migration, induction of angiogenesis, and colonization. Immunohistochemical analyses of tumors formed in nude mice indicate that many have undergone an epithelial-mesenchymal transition in vivo. Together, these findings demonstrate that overexpression of the HMGI(Y) proteins, more specifically, the HMG-Y isoform protein, is causally associated with both neoplastic transformation and metastatic progression and suggest that induction of integrins and their signaling pathways may play significant molecular roles in these biological events.


2003 ◽  
Vol 284 (4) ◽  
pp. F743-F752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jawed Alam ◽  
Erin Killeen ◽  
Pengfei Gong ◽  
Ryan Naquin ◽  
Bin Hu ◽  
...  

The mechanism of heme oxygenase-1 gene ( ho-1) activation by heme in immortalized rat proximal tubular epithelial cells was examined. Analysis of the ho-1promoter identified the heme-responsive sequences as the stress-response element (StRE), multiple copies of which are present in two enhancer regions, E1 and E2. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays identified Nrf2, MafG, ATF3, and Jun and Fos family members as StRE-binding proteins; binding of Nrf2, MafG, and ATF3 was increased in response to heme. Dominant-negative mutants of Nrf2 and Maf, but not of c-Fos and c-Jun, inhibited basal and heme-induced expression of an E1-controlled luciferase gene. Heme did not affect the transcription activity of Nrf2, dimerization between Nrf2 and MafG, or the level of MafG, but did stimulate expression of Nrf2. Heme did not influence the level of Nrf2 mRNA but increased the half-life of Nrf2 protein from ∼10 min to nearly 110 min. These results indicate that heme promotes stabilization of Nrf2, leading to accumulation of Nrf2 · MafG dimers that bind to StREs to activate the ho-1 gene.


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