Functional analysis of the mouse alpha-fetoprotein enhancers and their subfragments in primary mouse hepatocyte cultures.

We have compared the activities of mouse alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) enhancers I, II, and III with their minimal enhancer fragments (Mers) I, II, and III and with the entire 7-kilobase pair enhancer domain by transient expression assay in primary fetal mouse liver cells. The level of expression directed by the AFP promoter [p(-1009)AFPcat] alone is stimulated at least 10-fold by the entire AFP enhancer domain (-1009 to -6983). Enhancer I can drive the level of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity equivalent to that of the entire enhancer domain, whereas the increase in activity by enhancers II and III is significantly lower (1.5-fold). MersI, II, and III all mediate a greater increase in activity than their corresponding enhancer regions. The increase with MerI is 16-fold. Using DNase I protection analyses we identified 3 protein-binding regions in MerI; site Ia binds liver and brain nuclear proteins; site Ib binds liver, kidney, and brain nuclear proteins as well as purified C/EBP; site Ic binds liver and kidney nuclear proteins. Site-specific mutation of Ia, Ib, or Ic showed a 10-25% reduction in chloramphenicol acetyltransferase expression; deletion of the C/EBP-binding site in Ib showed a 45% reduction in activity and mutation of all 3 sites (Ia, Ib, and Ic) resulted in a 75% reduction in activity. Our studies indicate no single trans-acting factor is absolutely essential for enhancer activity, and that the enhancer activity of MerI is mediated via a combinatorial and additive mechanism.     

Cell-specific in vivo DNA-protein interactions at the proximal promoters of the pro alpha 1(I) and the pro alpha2(I) collagen genes.

We performed in vivo dimethylsulfate footprinting of the 220 bp mouse proximal proalpha1(I) collagen promoter and the 350 bp mouse proximal proalpha2(I) collagen promoter in BALB/3T3 fibroblasts, primary mouse skin fibroblasts, S-194 B cells, NMuLi liver epithelial cells and RAG renal adenocarcinoma cells and in vitro DNase I footprinting of these promoters using nuclear extracts of these different cell types. Whereas proalpha1(I) and proalpha2(I) collagen RNAs were present in BALB/3T3 fibroblasts and primary fibroblasts, these RNAs could not be detected in the three other cell lines. Comparison of in vitro DNase I footprints for each of the two proximal collagen promoters indicated that the patterns of protection were very similar with the different nuclear extracts, suggesting that the DNA binding proteins binding to these promoters were present in all cell types tested. In contrast, in vivo footprints over these proximal promoters were cell-specific, occurring only in fibroblast cells and not in the other three cell types. The in vivo footprints were generally located within the in vitro footprinted regions. Our results suggest that although all cell types tested contained nuclear proteins that can bind to the proximal proalpha1(I) and proalpha2(I) collagen promoters in vitro , it is only in fibroblasts that these proteins bind to their cognate sites in vivo . We discuss possible regulatory mechanisms in type I collagen genes that can contribute to the cell-specific in vivo protein-DNA interactions at the proximal promoters.     

Novel cAMP regulatory elements in the promoter region of bovine P-450(11 beta) gene

In order to elucidate the cAMP regulatory elements in the promoter region of bovine P-450(11 beta) genes, we analyzed the promoter region using chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene as the reporter. Various deletion plasmids were constructed using the promoter region of CB11 beta-7, which is one of the two normal genes. Examination of the effects of Bt2cAMP on the CAT activities of mouse adrenal tumor cells (Y-1 cells) transfected with these deletion plasmids suggested that two elements named Ad3 and Ad4 play major roles in the induction by cAMP. Ad3(AAGATAAGGCACCCATCCATCTT) is located at -306 bp to -284 bp and Ad4 (CCAAGGTC) is located at -331 bp to -324 bp in the promoter region of the P-450(11 beta) gene. Deletions of both Ad3 and Ad4 resulted in a large decrease of the induction ratio from 9- to 3-fold. Coexistence of Ad3 and Ad4 is essential for their function, because any mutations introduced into either one of them resulted in a decrease of the cAMP induction ratio. These two elements are highly conserved among bovine, mouse, and human P-450(11 beta) genes and have no similarity with known cAMP regulatory elements. DNase I footprint analysis indicated that factors which specifically bind to the two elements exist in the nuclear extract of bovine adrenal cortex cells. Ad3 and Ad4 showed different patterns in gel shift analysis using probes which contained Ad3 or Ad4 sequence, suggesting their interaction with different nuclear factors. We also found two other protected regions by DNase I footprint analysis of the promoter regions of P-450(11 beta) gene, and named them Ad5 and Ad6.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Molecular analysis of the distal enhancer of the mouse alpha-fetoprotein gene.

The mouse alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene is transcribed at high levels in the visceral endoderm of the yolk sac and fetal liver and at much lower rates in the endoderm of the fetal gut. Expression of the gene in vivo requires the presence of at least one of three enhancers which lie in its 5' flanking region. In this report, we establish that the most distal AFP enhancer directed consistent expression of a linked AFP minigene in all three endodermal tissues in transgenic mice. The enhancer is composed of three domains, each of which is essential for full enhancer function by transient transfection assays. DNase I footprinting identified three regions of the enhancer which are protected by human hepatoma nuclear extracts, one of which corresponded to a consensus site for HNF-3 binding. Site-directed mutations in this site caused a 10-fold reduction in enhancer function by transient transfection. In transgenic mice, however, the mutation resulted in sporadic expression of the transgene, dependent on the site of integration. A similar acquisition of position-dependent sporadic expression of the transgene was observed with a mutation in a second protein binding site, despite the fact that this mutation had very little effect on enhancer function as assessed by transient transfection. These studies underscore the value of examining the functions of specific protein binding sites in vivo.