Tissue-specific regulation of the ecto-5'-nucleotidase promoter. Role of the camp response element site in mediating repression by the upstream regulatory region.

We have isolated the 5' region of the ecto-5'-nucleotidase (low K(m) 5'-NT) gene and established that a 969-base pair (bp) fragment confers cell-specific expression of a CAT reporter gene that correlates with the expression of endogenous ecto-5'-NT mRNA and enzymatic activity. A 768-bp upstream negative regulatory region has been identified that conferred lymphocyte-specific negative regulation in a heterologous system with a 244-bp deoxycytidine kinase core promoter. DNase I footprinting identified several protected areas including Sp1, Sp1/AP-2, and cAMP response element (CRE) binding sites within the 201-bp core promoter region and Sp1, NRE-2a, TCF-1/LEF-1, and Sp1/NF-AT binding sites in the upstream regulatory region. Whereas the CRE site was essential in mediating the negative activity of the upstream regulatory region in Jurkat but not in HeLa cells, mutation of the Sp1/AP-2 site decreased promoter activity in both cell lines. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay analysis of proteins binding to the CRE site identified both ATF-1 and ATF-2 in Jurkat cells. Finally, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate increased the activity of both the core and the 969-bp promoter fragments, and this increase was abrogated by mutations at the CRE site. In summary, we have identified a tissue-specific regulatory region 5' of the ecto-5'-NT core promoter that requires the presence of a functional CRE site within the basal promoter for its suppressive activity.     

老年痴呆症相关基因Nicastrin的转录调控

APP蛋白经过降解,形成老年痴呆症患者脑内老年斑的主要成分.由PS(早老素),NCT,PEN-2和APH-14种膜蛋白组成的γ分泌酶催化该降解过程.为了了解人类nicastrin(NCT)基因的转录调控机制,确定了其在人脑中的转录起始位点以及其编码区上游大小不等片段的转录起始活性.EMSA分析证实NCT启动子区的4个AP-1结合位点和2个NFAT结合位点能够与相应的转录因子结合,能够改变转录因子调控能力的定点突变和PDTC诱导使得NCT启动子在HeLa细胞和人鼠皮质神经元中的启动活性都有所改变.以上结果说明:AP-1和NFAT确实参与了人类NCT基因的转录调控.