scholarly journals Both upstream and intron sequence elements are required for elevated expression of the rat somatic cytochrome c gene in COS-1 cells.

1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
M J Evans ◽  
R C Scarpulla

To investigate the transcriptional control of nuclear-encoded respiratory genes in mammals, we have performed a deletional analysis of cis-acting regulatory sequences in the rat somatic cytochrome c gene. Three major regions are required for maximal expression of the transfected gene in kidney cell lines CV-1 and COS-1. One of these, region III (+71 to +115 from the transcription initiation site), is an unusual intragenic controlling element found in the 5' end of the first intron, while the other two, region I (-191 to -165) and region II (-139 to -84), define the upstream promoter. Region II contains two consensus CCAAT boxes and mediates a constitutive level of expression in both cell lines. In contrast, regions I and III are both required for the increased promoter activity observed in COS-1 cells compared with promoter activity observed in CV-1 cells, and the regions function individually as competitors with the full promoter for trans-acting factors or complexes. Region III contains a perfect octanucleotide homology with region I in addition to a consensus Sp1-transcription-factor-binding site. Promoter stimulation in COS-1 cells can be duplicated in CV-1 cells by cotransfecting with a T-antigen-producing vector, but purified T antigen does not bind anywhere in the cytochrome c promoter. A control promoter from the mouse metallothionein I gene is similarly activated in T-antigen-producing cells only in the presence of zinc, which activates its upstream regulatory sites. We conclude that T antigen stimulates these cellular promoters through the activation or induction of cellular factors or complexes that mediate their effects through promoter-specific regulatory elements. Cytochrome c promoter regions activated in this system may play a physiological role in controlling gene expression.

1988 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-41
Author(s):  
M J Evans ◽  
R C Scarpulla

To investigate the transcriptional control of nuclear-encoded respiratory genes in mammals, we have performed a deletional analysis of cis-acting regulatory sequences in the rat somatic cytochrome c gene. Three major regions are required for maximal expression of the transfected gene in kidney cell lines CV-1 and COS-1. One of these, region III (+71 to +115 from the transcription initiation site), is an unusual intragenic controlling element found in the 5' end of the first intron, while the other two, region I (-191 to -165) and region II (-139 to -84), define the upstream promoter. Region II contains two consensus CCAAT boxes and mediates a constitutive level of expression in both cell lines. In contrast, regions I and III are both required for the increased promoter activity observed in COS-1 cells compared with promoter activity observed in CV-1 cells, and the regions function individually as competitors with the full promoter for trans-acting factors or complexes. Region III contains a perfect octanucleotide homology with region I in addition to a consensus Sp1-transcription-factor-binding site. Promoter stimulation in COS-1 cells can be duplicated in CV-1 cells by cotransfecting with a T-antigen-producing vector, but purified T antigen does not bind anywhere in the cytochrome c promoter. A control promoter from the mouse metallothionein I gene is similarly activated in T-antigen-producing cells only in the presence of zinc, which activates its upstream regulatory sites. We conclude that T antigen stimulates these cellular promoters through the activation or induction of cellular factors or complexes that mediate their effects through promoter-specific regulatory elements. Cytochrome c promoter regions activated in this system may play a physiological role in controlling gene expression.


1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 641-654
Author(s):  
C Hinkley ◽  
M Perry

Xenopus oocytes, arrested in G2 before the first meiotic division, accumulate histone mRNA and protein in the absence of chromosomal DNA replication and therefore represent an attractive biological system in which to examine histone gene expression uncoupled from the cell cycle. Previous studies have shown that sequences necessary for maximal levels of transcription in oocytes are present within 200 bp at the 5' end of the transcription initiation site for genes encoding each of the five major Xenopus histone classes. We have defined by site-directed mutagenesis individual regulatory sequences and characterized DNA-binding proteins required for histone H2B gene transcription in injected oocytes. The Xenopus H2B gene has a relatively simple promoter containing several transcriptional regulatory elements, including TFIID, CBP, and ATF/CREB binding sites, required for maximal transcription. A sequence (CTTTACAT) in the H2B promoter resembling the conserved octamer motif (ATTTGCAT), the target for cell-cycle regulation of a human H2B gene, is not required for transcription in oocytes. Nonetheless, substitution of a consensus octamer motif for the variant octamer element activates H2B transcription. Oocyte factors, presumably including the ubiquitous Oct-1 factor, specifically bind to the consensus octamer motif but not to the variant sequence. Our results demonstrate that a transcriptional regulatory element involved in lymphoid-specific expression of immunoglobulin genes and in S-phase-specific activation of mammalian H2B histone genes can activate transcription in nondividing amphibian oocytes.


1985 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Dunaway ◽  
R H Reeder

Extracts prepared from Xenopus laevis oocytes contain a protein(s) which specifically protects three discrete regions of the RNA polymerase I promoter from digestion by DNase I. Protected region I, from nucleotide +15 to nucleotide -10, spans the site of transcription initiation. Protected region II extends from nucleotide -70 to nucleotide -100 relative to initiation, falling within a 42-base-pair sequence which is homologous to the 60/81-base-pair repeated elements which occur outside of the promoter in the spacer. Protected region III is upstream of region II, from nucleotide -120 to nucleotide -140. All three regions correlate with sequences known from deletion studies to be important for promoter function. Deletion mutants which retain either region I or regions II and III together footprint normally. Deletion of region III, however, reduces but does not eliminate footprinting on region II, suggesting either that one protein binds to both regions or that the proteins which bind to these sites interact with each other.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6191-6200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukako Yamabe ◽  
Akira Shimamoto ◽  
Makoto Goto ◽  
Jun Yokota ◽  
Minoru Sugawara ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The regulation of Werner’s syndrome gene (WRN) expression was studied by characterizing the cis-regulatory elements in the promoter region and the trans-activating factors that bind to them. First, we defined the transcription initiation sites and the sequence of the 5′ upstream region (2.8 kb) ofWRN that contains a number of cis-regulatory elements, including 7 Sp1, 9 retinoblastoma control element (RCE), and 14 AP2 motifs. A region consisting of nucleotides −67 to +160 was identified as the principal promoter of WRN by reporter gene assays in HeLa cells, using a series of WRNpromoter-luciferase reporter (WRN-Luc) plasmids that contained the 5′-truncated or mutated WRN upstream regions. In particular, two Sp1 elements proximal to the transcription initiation site are indispensable for WRN promoter activity and bind specifically to Sp1 proteins. The RCE enhances WRN promoter activity. Coexpression of the WRN-Luc plasmids with various dosages of plasmids expressing Rb or p53 in Saos2 cells lacking active Rb and p53 proteins showed that the introduced Rb upregulates WRN promoter activity a maximum of 2.5-fold, while p53 downregulates it a maximum of 7-fold, both dose dependently. Consistently, the overexpressed Rb and p53 proteins also affected the endogenous WRN mRNA levels in Saos2 cells, resulting in an increase with Rb and a decrease with p53. These findings suggest that WRN expression, like that of other housekeeping genes, is directed mainly by the Sp1 transcriptional control system but is also further modulated by transcription factors, including Rb and p53, that are implicated in the cell cycle, cell senescence, and genomic instability.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Helen Mortensen ◽  
Alexandre Daly ◽  
Lindsey Anne Dudley ◽  
Sally Ann Camper

Abstract Pituitary and hypothalamic cell lines have been developed by targeted oncogenesis. This involved using cell-specific transcriptional regulatory sequences to drive expression of large and small SV40 T-antigens in transgenic mice. Invariably, tumors develop in some of the mice, and the cells in these tumors can sometimes be adapted to grow in culture into stable, immortalized cell lines that maintain some of the features of differentiated cells. Cell lines that represent pre-gonadotropes (αT3-1), gonadotropes (LβT2), precursors to the POU1F1 lineage (GHFT1, Pit1-zero), differentiated cells of the POU1F1 lineage (Pit1-triple, TaT1, and Pit1-PRL), and GnRH neurons (GT1-1) have been made by this approach. Tumors often develop early and cause infertility or death. To increase the opportunity for generating cell lines and to make it feasible to follow the process of tumorigenesis, we developed a mouse strain that expresses SV40 T-antigens in response to cre-recombinase. Using CRISPR/Cas9 we inserted an 8 kb cassette with coding sequences for SV40 T-antigens and IRES-GFP into the Rosa26 locus, downstream from a stop sequence flanked by loxP sites: Rosa26LSL-SV40-GFP. 30% of the progeny born from hybrid zygotes injected with template DNA, CRISPR/Cas9, and sgRNA had correctly targeted the Rosa26 locus. These mice were mated with previously established Prop1-cre and Tshb-cre transgenic lines. The majority of Rosa26LSL-SV40-GFP/+; Prop1-cre and Rosa26LSL-SV40-GFP/+; Tshb-cre mice developed dwarfism and large tumors by 4 wks. The pituitaries of Rosa26LSL-SV40-GFP/+; Tshb-cre mice appear grossly normal at birth, but they are enlarged and showing evidence of increased vascularization by 2 wks. Flow-sorted GFP-positive cells from Rosa26LSL-SV40-GFP/+; Prop1-cre and Rosa26LSL-SV40-GFP/+; Tshb-cre mice express Prop1 and TSH, respectively. Tumors from Rosa26LSL-SV40-GFP/+; Tshb-cre mice were adapted to growth in cell culture. We have established a thyrotrope-like cell line that expresses Cga and Pou1f1. These studies demonstrate the utility of the novel, Rosa26LSL-SV40-GFP mouse line for reliable targeted oncogenesis and development of unique cell lines. The authors have nothing to disclose.


Blood ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-100
Author(s):  
E Tschachler ◽  
E Bohnlein ◽  
S Felzmann ◽  
MS Jr Reitz

Human T-lymphotropic virus type-I (HTLV-I)-infected T-cell lines constitutively produce high levels of lymphotoxin (LT). To analyze the mechanisms that lead to the expression of LT in HTLV-I-infected cell lines, we studied regulatory regions of the human LT promoter involved in the activation of the human LT gene. As determined by deletional analysis, sequences between +137 and -116 (relative to the transcription initiation site) are sufficient to direct expression of a reporter gene in the HTLV-I-infected cell line MT-2. Site-directed mutation of a of the single kappa B-like motif present in the LT promoter region (positions -99 to -89) completely abrogated LT promoter activity in MT-2 cells, suggesting that this site plays a critical role in the activation of the human LT gene. Transfection of LT constructs into HTLV-I-uninfected and -unstimulated Jurkat and U937 cell lines showed little to no activity of the LT promoter. Cotransfection of the same constructs with a tax expression plasmid into Jurkat cells led to detectable promoter activity, which could be significantly increased by stimulation of the cells with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Similarly, cotransfection of the LT promoter constructs and the tax expression plasmid into U937 cells led to significant promoter activity upon stimulation with PMA. These data suggest that HTLV-I tax is involved in the upregulation of LT gene expression in HTLV-I-infected cells.


Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luan ◽  
He ◽  
Xie ◽  
Chen ◽  
Mao ◽  
...  

Plant tissue culture methods, such as somatic embryogenesis, are attractive alternatives to traditional breeding methods for plant propagation. However, they often suffer from limited efficiency. Somatic embryogenesis receptor kinase (SERK)1 is a marker gene of early somatic embryogenesis in several plants, including pineapple. It can be selectively induced and promotes a key step in somatic embryogenesis. We investigated the embryonic cell-specific transcriptional regulation of AcSERK1 by constructing a series of vectors carrying the GUS(Beta-glucuronidase) reporter gene under the control of different candidate cis-regulatory sequences. These vectors were transfected into both embryonic and non-embryonic callus, and three immature embryo stages and the embryonic-specific activity of the promoter fragments was analyzed. We found that the activity of the regulatory sequence of AcSERK1 lacking −983 nt ~−880 nt, which included the transcription initiation site, was significantly reduced in the embryonic callus of pineapple, accompanied by the loss of embryonic cell-specific promoter activity. Thus, this fragment is an essential functional segment with highly specific promoter activity for embryonic cells, and it is active only from the early stages of somatic embryo development to the globular embryo stage. This study lays the foundation for identifying mechanisms that enhance the efficiency of somatic embryogenesis in pineapple and other plants.


2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (4) ◽  
pp. C1305-C1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack C. Reidling ◽  
Hamid M. Said

The mechanism of biotin uptake in human intestine has been well characterized and involves the human sodium-dependent multivitamin transporter (hSMVT), yet little is known about the molecular/transcriptional regulation of the system. Previous investigations cloned the 5′ regulatory region of the hSMVT gene and identified the minimal promoter. To expand these investigations, we compared activity of the hSMVT promoter in three human intestinal epithelial cell lines (NCM460, Caco-2, and HuTu-80) and contrasted a renal epithelial cell line (HEK-293). We analyzed the role of putative cis-elements in regulating promoter activity and confirmed activity of the cloned hSMVT promoter in vivo. In vitro studies demonstrated that all cell lines utilized the same minimal promoter region, and mutation of specific cis-regulatory elements [Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF-4) and activator protein-2 (AP-2)] led to a decrease in promoter activity in all intestinal cell types but not in renal cells. Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we identified two specific DNA/protein complexes. Using oligonucleotide competition and antibody supershift analysis, we determined that KLF-4 and AP-2 were involved in forming the complexes. In HEK-293 cells, overexpressing KLF-4 increased the endogenous hSMVT message levels threefold and activated a cotransfected hSMVT promoter-reporter construct. In vivo studies using hSMVT promoter-luciferase transgenic mice established physiological relevance and showed the pattern of hSMVT promoter expression to be similar to endogenous mouse SMVT mRNA expression. The results demonstrate, for the first time, the importance of KLF-4 and AP-2 in regulating the activity of the hSMVT promoter in the intestine and provide direct in vivo confirmation of hSMVT promoter activity.


2005 ◽  
Vol 393 (1) ◽  
pp. 321-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonella De Luca ◽  
Paolo Sacchetta ◽  
Carmine Di Ilio ◽  
Bartolo Favaloro

MsrA (methionine sulphoxide reductase A) is an antioxidant repair enzyme that reduces oxidized methionine to methionine. Moreover, the oxidation of methionine residues in proteins is considered to be an important consequence of oxidative damage to cells. To understand mechanisms of human msrA gene expression and regulation, we cloned and characterized the 5′ promoter region of the human msrA gene. Using 5′-RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) analysis of purified mRNA from human cells, we located the transcription initiation site 59 nt upstream of the reference MsrA mRNA sequence, GenBank® accession number BC 054033. The 1.3 kb of sequence located upstream of the first exon of msrA gene was placed upstream of the luciferase reporter gene in a pGL3-Basic vector and transfected into different cell lines. Sequentially smaller fragments of the msrA promoter region were generated by PCR, and expression levels were monitored from these constructs within HEK-293 and MCF7 human cell lines. Analysis of deletion constructs revealed differences in promoter activity in these cell lines. In HEK-293 cells, the promoter activity was constant from the minimal promoter region to the longest fragment obtained. On the other hand, in MCF7 cells we detected a down-regulation in the longest fragment. Mutation of a putative negative regulatory region that is located between −209 and −212 bp (the CCAA box) restored promoter activity in MCF7 cells. The location of the msrA promoter will facilitate analysis of the transcriptional regulation of this gene in a variety of pathological contexts.


2007 ◽  
Vol 407 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Pearse ◽  
Ying X. Zhu ◽  
Eleanor J. Murray ◽  
Pradeep K. Dudeja ◽  
Krishnamurthy Ramaswamy ◽  
...  

We have previously cloned the human Na+/H+ exchanger NHE2 gene and its promoter region. In the present study, the regulatory elements responsible for the constitutive expression of NHE2 were studied. Transient transfection assays revealed that the −40/+150 promoter region contains the core promoter responsible for the optimal promoter activity. A smaller fragment, −10/+40, containing the TIS (transcription initiation site) showed minimal activity. We identified a palindrome that overlaps the TIS and binds to the transcription factors Sp1 and Sp3. Mutations in the 5′ flank of the palindrome abolished the Sp1/Sp3 interaction and reduced promoter activity by approx. 45%. In addition, a conserved GC-box centered at −25 was found to play a critical role in basal promoter activity and also interacted with Sp1 and Sp3. An internal deletion in the GC-box severely reduced the promoter activity. Sp1/Sp3 binding to these elements was established using gel-mobility shift assays, confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation and co-transfections in Drosophila SL2 cells. Furthermore, we identified two positive regulatory elements in the DNA region corresponding to the 5′-UTR (5′-untranslated region). The results in the present study indicate that Sp1 and Sp3 are required for constitutive NHE2 expression and that the positive regulatory elements of the 5′-UTR may co-operate with the 5′-flanking region to achieve the optimal promoter activity.


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