The cell-specific enhancer of the mouse transthyretin (prealbumin) gene binds a common factor at one site and a liver-specific factor(s) at two other sites.

We previously defined two distinct cell-specific DNA elements controlling the transient expression of the transthyretin gene in Hep G2 (human hepatoma) cells: a proximal promoter region (-202 base pairs [bp] to the cap site), and a far-upstream cell-specific enhancer located between 1.6 and 2.15 kilobases (kb) 5' of the cap site (R. H. Costa, E. Lai, and J. E. Darnell, Jr., Mol. Cell. Biol. 6:4697-4708, 1986). In this report, we located the effective transthyretin enhancer element within a 100-bp region between 1.96 and 1.86 kb 5' to the mRNA cap site. In Hep G2 nuclear extracts, three protein-binding sites within this minimal enhancer element were identified by gel mobility and methylation protection experiments. Each binding site was required for full enhancer activity in Hep G2 transient expression assays. Competition experiments in protein-binding assays suggested that two of the three sites were recognized by a similar factor and that the protein interaction with the third site was different. The nuclear protein(s) which bound to the two homologous sites was found mainly or only in cells of hepatic origin, suggesting an involvement of this region in the cell-specific function of this enhancer. The nuclear protein(s) recognizing the third enhancer region was also found in HeLa and spleen cells.     

Site-specific DNA binding of nuclear factor I: analyses of cellular binding sites.

Nuclear factor I is a cellular site-specific DNA-binding protein required for the efficient in vitro replication of adenovirus DNA. We have characterized human DNA sequences to which nuclear factor I binds. Three nuclear factor I binding sites (FIB sites), isolated from HeLa cell DNA, each contain the sequence TGG(N)6-7GCCAA. Comparison with other known and putative FIB sites suggests that this sequence is important for the binding of nuclear factor I. Nuclear factor I protects a 25- to 30-base-pair region surrounding this sequence from digestion by DNase I. Methylation protection studies suggest that nuclear factor I interacts with guanine residues within the TGG(N)6-7GCCAA consensus sequence. One binding site (FIB-2) contained a restriction endonuclease HaeIII cleavage site (GGCC) at the 5' end of the GCCAA motif. Digestion of FIB-2 with HaeIII abolished the binding of nuclear factor I. Southern blot analyses indicate that the cellular FIB sites described here are present within single-copy DNA in the HeLa cell genome.