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The roles of Sp1, Sp3, USF1/USF2 and NRF-1 in the regulation and three-dimensional structure of the Fragile X mental retardation gene promoter.

ABSTRACT: Expansion of a CGG.CCG-repeat tract in the 5'-untranslated region of the FMR1 (Fragile X mental retardation 1) gene causes its aberrant transcription. This produces symptoms ranging from premature ovarian failure and Fragile X associated tremor and ataxia syndrome to FMR syndrome, depending on the size of the expansion. The promoter from normal alleles shows four protein-binding regions in vivo. We had previously shown that in mouse brain extracts two of these sites are bound by USF1/USF2 (upstream stimulatory factors 1 and 2) heterodimers and NRF-1 (nuclear respiratory factor-1). We also showed that these sites are involved in the positive regulation of FMR1 transcription in neuronally derived cells. In the present study, we show that Sp1 (specificity protein 1) and Sp3 are also strong positive regulators of FMR1 promoter activity. We also show that, like Sp1 and E-box-binding proteins such as USF1 and USF2, NRF-1 causes DNA bending, in this case producing a bend of 57 degrees towards the major groove. The combined effect of the four protein-induced bends on promoter geometry is the formation of a highly compact arch-like structure in which the 5' end of the promoter is brought in close proximity to the 3' end. We had previously shown that while point mutations in the GC-boxes decrease promoter activity, deletion of either one of them leads to an increase in promoter activity. We can reconcile these observations with the positive effect of Sp1 and Sp3 if protein-induced bending acts, at least in part, to bring together distally spaced factors important for transcription initiation.

SUBMITTER: Kumari D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1134794 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The roles of Sp1, Sp3, USF1/USF2 and NRF-1 in the regulation and three-dimensional structure of the Fragile X mental retardation gene promoter.

Kumari Daman D Gabrielian Andrei A Wheeler David D Usdin Karen K

The Biochemical journal 20050301 Pt 2

Expansion of a CGG.CCG-repeat tract in the 5'-untranslated region of the FMR1 (Fragile X mental retardation 1) gene causes its aberrant transcription. This produces symptoms ranging from premature ovarian failure and Fragile X associated tremor and ataxia syndrome to FMR syndrome, depending on the size of the expansion. The promoter from normal alleles shows four protein-binding regions in vivo. We had previously shown that in mouse brain extracts two of these sites are bound by USF1/USF2 (upstr ...[more]

PMID: 15479157

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Project description:In the human placental syncytiotrophoblast, C(19) steroids are converted to estrogens by aromatase P450, product of the CYP19 gene. When human cytotrophoblasts, which lack the capacity to express aromatase, are cultured in 20% O(2), they spontaneously fuse to form a multinuclear syncytiotrophoblast and CYP19 expression is markedly induced. On the other hand, when cytotrophoblasts are cultured in 2% O(2), syncytiotrophoblast differentiation and induction of CYP19 expression are prevented. We previously observed that expression of the transcription factor Mash-2 (mammalian achaete/scute homologue 2), which is elevated in human cytotrophoblasts and maintained at elevated levels by hypoxia, declines with syncytiotrophoblast differentiation. Overexpression of Mash-2 prevents syncytiotrophoblast differentiation and induction of CYP19 expression. In the present study, we observed that unexpectedly immunoreactive Mash-2 protein was localized predominantly to the cytoplasm of human cytotrophoblasts. Elevated cytoplasmic levels of Mash-2 were maintained when trophoblasts were cultured in 2% O(2) and declined to undetectable levels upon culture in 20% O(2). Previously, we found that Mash-2 inhibited CYP19 promoter activity through sequences within a 350-bp region upstream and within placenta-specific exon I.1 containing three E boxes (E1 at -325 bp, 5'-CACTTG-3'; E2 at -58 bp, 5'-CACATG-3'; and E3 at +26 bp, 5'-CACGTG-3'). In this study, we found that trophoblast nuclear protein binding to these E boxes declined with syncytiotrophoblast differentiation in 20% O(2) and was induced by hypoxia; however, Mash-2 did not appear to bind to any of these E boxes. On the other hand, the basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper transcription factors upstream stimulatory factors 1 and 2 (USF1 and USF2) did bind to E2 and E3 but not E1. Nuclear levels of USF1 and USF2 and DNA-binding activity declined with syncytiotrophoblast differentiation and were maintained at elevated levels by hypoxia and overexpression of Mash-2, whereas USF1 mRNA levels were unaffected. Finally, USF1 overexpression in cultured human trophoblasts markedly inhibited endogenous CYP19 expression, differentiation of cultured human trophoblast cells, and CYP19 promoter activity. These findings suggest that increased protein levels and DNA binding of USF1 and USF2 mediate the inhibitory effects of hypoxia and of Mash-2 on CYP19 gene expression in human placenta.

Dataset Information

The roles of Sp1, Sp3, USF1/USF2 and NRF-1 in the regulation and three-dimensional structure of the Fragile X mental retardation gene promoter.

Publications

The roles of Sp1, Sp3, USF1/USF2 and NRF-1 in the regulation and three-dimensional structure of the Fragile X mental retardation gene promoter.

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