J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 265, Issue 3, 1658-1664, Jan, 1990
cis-acting sequences involved in protein binding and in vitro transcription of the human alcohol dehydrogenase gene ADH2
LG Carr and HJ Edenberg
Department of Biochemistry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis 46202-5122.
The human alcohol dehydrogenase gene ADH2 is expressed at high levels in
the liver. At least five different complexes between nuclear proteins from
mouse liver or rat hepatoma cells and the proximal promoter region
extending from nucleotides -188 to +31 are detected by gel retardation
assays. Using oligonucleotides to compete for the binding, and also as the
probes, allowed localization of sequences within this region that bind
nuclear proteins. Mutated oligonucleotides did not bind or compete.
Nucleotides which are contacted by the proteins have been localized by
methylation interference assays to two regions homologous to the related
mouse Adh-1 gene. One maps between nucleotides -94 and -84; the other is
from nucleotides -72 through -64. The 5' region of the human ADH2 gene is
capable of directing accurate in vitro transcription in extracts from
hepatoma cells. Deletion analysis indicates that the smallest portion of
the proximal promoter region capable of directing significant transcription
extends to nucleotide -93, which just contains both of the identified
contact regions. The longer promoter fragments do not work as well,
suggesting the presence of negative elements. In vitro transcription assays
using oligonucleotides and mutated oligonucleotides as competitors
demonstrate that both of the cis-acting sequences identified here are
important to efficient initiation of transcription from the ADH2 promoter.