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Distinct signalling pathways mediate the cAMP response element (CRE)-dependent activation of the calcitonin gene-related peptide gene promoter by cAMP and nerve growth factor.

ABSTRACT: The gene encoding the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is activated in neuronal cells by treatment with cAMP and nerve growth factor (NGF). Both stimuli induce the phosphorylation of the cAMP response element (CRE)-binding protein (CREB) transcription factor on Ser-133 and require the CRE in the CGRP promoter to stimulate transcription. However, whereas the CRE is necessary and sufficient for promoter activation by cAMP, it is necessary but not sufficient for activation by NGF. We show that this difference is paralleled by a difference in the signalling pathways which are required for each stimulus to activate the CGRP promoter. Thus whilst cAMP-mediated activation requires the protein kinase A pathway, NGF-mediated stimulation requires the Ras/Raf mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase-1 (MEK-1)/p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. Although NGF can activate the protein kinase C, p38 MAPK and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways, these pathways are not involved in its effect on the CGRP promoter. The effect of the p42/p44 MAPK pathway on CREB and associated transcription factors, and the manner in which this results in activation of the CGRP promoter is discussed.

SUBMITTER: Freeland K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1220751 | biostudies-other | 2000 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:The first and rate-controlling step of the haem biosynthetic pathway in mammals and fungi is catalysed by the mitochondrial-matrix enzyme 5-aminolaevulinate synthase (ALAS). The purpose of this work was to explore the molecular mechanisms involved in the cAMP regulation of rat housekeeping ALAS gene expression. Thus we have examined the ALAS promoter for putative transcription-factor-binding sites that may regulate transcription in a cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA)-induced context. Applying both transient transfection assays with a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene driven by progressive ALAS promoter deletions in HepG2, and electrophoresis mobility-shift assays we have identified two putative cAMP-response elements (CREs) at positions -38 and -142. Functional analysis showed that both CRE-like sites were necessary for complete PKA induction, but only one for basal expression. Co-transfection with a CRE-binding protein (CREB) expression vector increased PKA-mediated induction of ALAS promoter transcriptional activity. However, in the absence of co-transfected PKA, CREB worked as a specific repressor for ALAS promoter activity. A CREB mutant deficient in a PKA phosphorylation site was unable to induce expression of the ALAS gene but could inhibit non-stimulated promoter activity. Furthermore, a DNA-binding mutant of CREB did not interfere with ALAS promoter basal activity. Site-directed-mutagenesis studies showed that only the nearest element to the transcription start site was able to inhibit the activity of the promoter. Therefore, we conclude that CREB, through its binding to CRE-like sites, mediates the effect of cAMP on ALAS gene expression. Moreover, we propose that CREB could also act as a repressor of ALAS transcription, but is able to reverse its role after PKA activation. Dephosphorylated CREB would interfere in a spatial-disposition-dependent manner with the transcriptional machinery driving inhibition of gene expression.

Project description:Generally, knowledge of the mechanism regulating gene expression in primary spermatocytes is incomplete. We have used the lactate dehydrogenase gene (Ldhc) as a model to explore these mechanisms during spermatogenesis. Its 100-bp core promoter contained two essential elements common to many genes, a GC box and a CRE site. Here we report results that support a model in which transcription factor MYBL1 acts as a coactivator directing tissue-specific expression via the CRE cis element. We hypothesize that this is a common mechanism involving activation of multiple genes in the primary spermatocyte. MYBL1 is expressed predominantly as a tissue-specific transcription factor in spermatocytes and breast epithelial cells. Our finding that LDHC expression is lost in 21-day testes of MYBL1 mutant mice supports our hypothesis. In the GC1-spg germ cell line exogenous MYBL1 induces activity 4- to 8-fold, although extracts from these cells do not show MYBL1 binding activity for the Myb consensus sequences in the Ldhc promoter by EMSA. Rather, MYBL1 stimulates expression from a synthetic promoter containing only CRE elements, suggesting MYBL1 activates the promoter by interacting with protein that binds to a CRE element. Mutation of three Myb sites does not affect Ldhc promoter activity significantly (P > 0.05). CREB-binding protein (CBP) is a coactivator that interacts with CRE-binding protein CREB. We show that the transactivation domain (TAD) in MYBL1 interacts with the KIX domain in CBP, and the TAD domain and DNA binding domain in MYBL1 each interact with the CREB N-terminal domain. MYBL1 also stimulated expression from testis-specific genes Pgk2 (phosphoglycerate kinase 2) and Pdha2 (pyruvate dehydrogenase alpha 2) promoters, each of which contains CRE promoter elements and is expressed in primary spermatocytes. We propose that MYBL1 directs germ cell-specific activation via the CRE site of certain genes that are activated specifically in the primary spermatocyte, although other, more indirect effects of MYBL1 remain a possible explanation for our results.

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Distinct signalling pathways mediate the cAMP response element (CRE)-dependent activation of the calcitonin gene-related peptide gene promoter by cAMP and nerve growth factor.

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