Chromatin studies reveal that an ERE is located far upstream of a vitellogenin gene and that a distal tissue-specific hypersensitive site is conserved for two coordinately regulated vitellogenin genes.

Estrogen induces the expression of three vitellogenin genes in chicken hepatocytes. To survey the vitellogenin III (VTGIII) gene region for possible distal regulatory sequences, we identified tissue-specific hypersensitive (HS) sites within a 45 kb chromatin region spanning this gene. Five constitutive HS sites were found to mark the VTGIII gene region in hormone-naive hepatocytes. Strikingly, the constitutive HS site located 5.5 kb upstream of the VTGIII gene and a previously identified HS site located within the coordinately regulated VTGII gene mapped to nearly identical copies of a 72 bp sequence. Moreover, it would appear that there has been evolutionary pressure to retain specifically this 72 bp of VTGII-like sequence near the VTGIII gene subsequent to the VTGIII and VTGII genes becoming unlinked approximately 16 Myr ago. Two additional sets of HS sites were induced in the VTGIII gene region in response to estrogen. One set mapped immediately upstream of the gene in the vicinity of what we show to be a functional estrogen response element (ERE). The other induced HS site mapped 7.5 kb upstream of the gene. This far-upstream region was sequenced and was found to contain two imperfect ERE consensus sequences spaced 88 bp apart. In transient expression assays neither of these individual imperfect ERE sequences was functional, but a fragment spanning both sequences behaved as a strong ERE. In contrast to this synergism between imperfect ERE sequences, the presence of an NF-1 binding site 23 bp away from the more distal imperfect ERE sequence was not sufficient to render the latter a functional ERE in our assays.     

Synergism of closely adjacent estrogen-responsive elements increases their regulatory potential

Recent gene transfer experiments have shown that an estrogen-responsive DNA element (ERE) GGTCANNNTGACC mediates the estrogen inducibility of the Xenopus laevis vitellogenin A1 and A2 genes as well as the chicken vitellogenin II gene. We report here on experiments that explain the estrogen regulation of the Xenopus vitellogenin B1 and B2 genes. In these genes, two ERE homologues, which have only low, if any, regulatory capacity on their own, act synergistically to achieve high estrogen inducibility. Furthermore we show that synergism of EREs is most efficient, when the two elements are closely adjacent and that it is lost when the synergistic elements are separated by 125 basepairs. In-vitro estrogen receptor binding experiments indicate that co-operative binding of estrogen receptors to closely adjacent EREs is not essential for synergism of ERE homologues that have no intrinsic regulatory capacity. Functional synergism of EREs is observed in the human estrogen-responsive MCF-7 cell line as well as in mouse fibroblasts (Ltk-) cotransfected with estrogen receptor expression vectors. Even expression of a truncated receptor protein lacking 178 amino acid residues of the amino-terminal end allows synergism, suggesting that the amino-terminal end preceding the DNA-binding domain of the estrogen receptor is not required.     

Hormonal regulation of vitellogenin genes: an estrogen-responsive element in the Xenopus A2 gene and a multihormonal regulatory region in the chicken II gene

Expression of the vitellogenin genes in avian and amphibian liver is regulated by estrogens. The DNA elements mediating estrogen induction of the various vitellogenin genes of chicken and Xenopus encompass one or more copies of a 13-mer palindromic sequence called the estrogen-responsive element (ERE). Here we show that upon incubation with the purified estrogen receptor (ER) from calf uterus the Xenopus vitellogenin A2 gene yields a DNase-I footprint over the ERE between -331 and -319. This element does not mediate the response to glucocorticoids or progestins in T47D cells. The three guanine residues in each half of the palindrome are protected against methylation by dimethylsulfate after incubation with ER, but not with glucocorticoid (GR) or progesterone (PR) receptors. In contrast, the chicken vitellogenin II gene exhibits multihormonal regulation by estrogens, progestins, and glucocorticoids in T47D and MCF7 cells. Regulation is mediated by the DNA region between -721 and -591 that contains four binding sites for hormone receptors, as demonstrated by DNase-I footprints and methylation protection experiments. The two distal and most proximal binding sites are recognized by ER, GR, and PR, whereas the central binding site is only bound by ER and GR. At suboptimal concentrations, estrogens and progestins or glucocorticoids act synergistically. In experiments using a DNA fragment containing an ERE adjacent to a glucocorticoid-responsive element/progesterone-responsive element, ER and PR bind synergistically to their corresponding sites, perhaps explaining the functional synergism of both hormones. Thus, two very different regulatory elements are used to mediate estrogen induction of related genes in chickens and amphibians.     

The major and minor chicken vitellogenin genes are each adjacent to partially deleted pseudogene copies of the other.

The major chicken vitellogenin gene (VTGII) has previously been cloned and sequenced. We now report the isolation of genomic clones that encompass a minor chicken vitellogenin gene (VTGIII) which is also expressed in the liver in response to estradiol. Our analysis reveals that a pseudogene for VTGII (psi VTGII) lies 1,426 base pairs upstream of this VTGIII gene. A reevaluation of published sequence data reveals that the converse is also true, namely, that a pseudogene for VTGIII (psi VTGIII) lies 1,345 base pairs downstream of the VTGII gene. Our results show that a 335-base-pair deletion has removed the psi VTGIII promoter and cap site but left residual estrogen response element in a region where nuclease-hypersensitive sites have been reported to be induced in response to estradiol.     

The uteroglobin promoter contains a noncanonical estrogen responsive element

Uteroglobin is expressed in various tissues of the rabbit under complex hormonal control. In the endometrium the uteroglobin gene is transcribed only in epithelial cells after administration of ovarian hormones. In this paper we demonstrate that within the promoter region of the rabbit uteroglobin gene, there is a functional estrogen-responsive element (ERE) located between -265 and -252. Hybrid constructions containing sequences of the uteroglobin promoter up to -299, linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene of E. coli respond to estrogens in gene transfer experiments, whereas a deletion that removes half of the ERE does not. A synthetic oligonucleotide corresponding to the putative ERE is able to confer estrogen inducibility to an otherwise unresponsive promoter. Binding experiments with purified estrogen receptor from calf uterus reveal a DNase-I footprint over the ERE. Within this protected region six guanine residues that have been shown to be contacted by the receptor in other EREs are protected against methylation by dimethylsulfate in the presence of the estrogen receptor. We compare this ERE with the vitellogenin A2 ERE from Xenopus and find that the relative affinity of the uteroglobin ERE is slightly lower than that of the vitellogenin ERE. Thus, this uteroglobin ERE could be involved in physiological regulation of uteroglobin expression in the genital tract.     

Binding of type II nuclear receptors and estrogen receptor to full and half-site estrogen response elements in vitro.

The mechanism by which retinoids, thyroid hormone (T3) and estrogens modulate the growth of breast cancer cells is unclear. Since nuclear type II nuclear receptors, including retinoic acid receptor (RAR), retinoid X receptor (RXR) and thyroid hormone receptor (TR), bind direct repeats (DR) of the estrogen response elements (ERE) half-site (5'-AGGTCA-3'), we examined the ability of estrogen receptor (ER) versus type II nuclear receptors, i.e. RARalpha, beta and gamma, RXRbeta, TRalpha and TRbeta, to bind various EREs in vitro . ER bound a consensus ERE, containing a perfectly palindromic 17 bp inverted repeat (IR), as a homodimer. In contrast, ER did not bind to a single ERE half-site. Likewise, ER did not bind two tandem (38 bp apart) half-sites, but low ER binding was detected to three tandem copies of the same half-site. RARalpha,beta or gamma bound both ERE and half-site constructs as a homodimer. RXRbeta did not bind full or half-site EREs, nor did RXRbeta enhance RARalpha binding to a full ERE. However, RARalpha and RXRbeta bound a half-site ERE cooperatively forming a dimeric complex. The RARalpha-RXRbeta heterodimer bound the Xenopus vitellogenin B1 estrogen responsive unit, with two non-consensus EREs, with higher affinity than one or two copies of the full or half-site ERE. Both TRalpha and TRbeta bound the full and the half-site ERE as monomers and homodimers and cooperatively as heterodimers with RXRbeta. We suggest that the cellular concentrations of nuclear receptors and their ligands, and the nature of the ERE or half-site sequence and those of its flanking sequences determine the occupation of EREs in estrogen-regulated genes in vivo .