Originally published In Press as doi:10.1074/jbc.M303431200 on April 8, 2003
J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 278, Issue 26, 23570-23578, June 27, 2003
Role of the Intronic Enhancer in Tumor Necrosis Factor-mediated Induction of Manganous Superoxide Dismutase*
Zhu Guo,
Gunther H. Boekhoudt and
Jeremy M. Boss
From the
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of
Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
Received for publication, April 2, 2003
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ABSTRACT
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Manganous superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), a tumor necrosis factor
(TNF)-inducible gene product, plays an important role in removing superoxide
anions produced inside mitochondria. Two regulatory regions, the proximal
promoter region (PPR), which is upstream from the transcription initiation
site, and the TNF-responsive element (TNFRE), which is inside intron 2, are
responsible for Mn-SOD expression. To understand how each of these
regions contributes to the transcription of Mn-SOD, quantitative
reverse transcription-PCR, chromatin immunoprecipitations, and in
vivo nuclease sensitivity assays were performed on the murine
Mn-SOD gene. These assays demonstrate that Sp1 and nuclear factor
(NF)-
B p65 are required for Mn-SOD induction by TNF. Sp1 bound
the PPR constitutively, whereas NF-
B p65 and C/EBP-
bound the
TNFRE only after TNF treatment. Binding of C/EBP-
to the TNFRE was
dependent on the presence of NF-
B p65. The chromatin structure within
the TNFRE became more accessible to nuclease digestion after TNF treatment.
This accessibility required Sp1 and NF-
B p65. Treatment of cells with
an inhibitor of histone deacetylation, or transient transfection with
coactivator-expressing plasmids, enhanced the expression of Mn-SOD.
NF-
B p65 binding was required for acetylation of histones H3 and H4 at
the PPR and the TNFRE. Together, these data suggest communication between the
PPR and the TNFRE which involves chromatin remodeling and histone acetylation
during the induction process of Mn-SOD in response to TNF.
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INTRODUCTION
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Manganous superoxide dismutase
(Mn-SOD),1 a reactive
oxygen scavenging metalloenzyme, catalyzes the conversion of superoxide
radicals to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen inside mitochondria
(1). The expression of Mn-SOD
is important in protecting mitochondria from oxidative damage mediated by
superoxide radicals generated during normal cellular metabolism or under
conditions of inflammation and oxidative stress, such as tumor necrosis factor
(TNF)-mediated apoptosis (2,
3). The importance of Mn-SOD
function is illustrated by the neonatal death of mice containing targeted
disruptions of their Sod2 genes
(4,
5). A variety of factors, which
include TNF, interleukin-1, lipopolysaccharide, interferon-
, and x-ray
irradiation, induce Mn-SOD transcription
(68).
The important role of Mn-SOD in protection against inflammation and oxidative
stress emphasizes the need to regulate Mn-SOD expression precisely.
Sequence analysis, promoter mutagenesis, and in vivo genomic
footprinting identified two regulatory regions separated by 2.2 kbp of DNA
(Fig. 1)
(9,
10). The 5'-proximal
promoter region (PPR) contains numerous putative regulatory motifs that can be
recognized by Sp1, AP-1, C/EBP, and NF-
B family members. Results of
promoter mutagenesis experiments demonstrated that the PPR contributed only a
1.7-fold increase to the total induced expression in response to TNF,
indicating that TNF responsiveness was not within this region. However, in
vivo genomic footprinting suggested a role for the Sp1 binding sequences
in constitutive expression of Mn-SOD. A TNF-responsive element
(TNFRE) was identified within the second intron of the Mn-SOD gene.
Sequence analysis of this 238-bp element revealed numerous potential
transcription factor binding sites. TNF induced the occupancy of the binding
sites for NF-
B, C/EBP, and NF-1 within the TNFRE. In vitro DNA
binding assays showed that the 5'-region of the TNFRE bound
C/EBP-
, and the 3'-region bound C/EBP-
and NF-
B. One
report suggested an NF-
B binding site (originally named as C/EBPX
because of its homology to a C/EBP binding site) within the 5'-region of
the TNFRE which is indispensable for the responsiveness to TNF
(11). The 3'-NF-
B
site, however, was not independently responsive to TNF and was suggested to
provide position and orientation independence to the TNFRE in a heterologous
setting (10).

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FIG. 1. Schematic map of Mn-SOD regulatory region. The PPR and the
TNFRE are shown. An enlargement of the TNFRE is depicted as described by Jones
et al. (10).
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The intronic location of the TNFRE leads to an intriguing question about
how the PPR and the TNFRE communicate over 2.2 kbp of DNA. The packaging of
eukaryotic DNA into nucleosome and higher order structures of chromatin allows
for the possibility that these two regulatory regions are physically close
enough for direct interaction or communication through bridging molecules. The
role of chromatin structure in Mn-SOD expression was suggested by the
observation that the promoter of the rat Mn-SOD gene became more
sensitive to DNase I after TNF treatment, indicating that some form of
nucleosome remodeling occurred
(12). Whether the remodeling
involves acetylation of specific lysine residues on the N-terminal tails of
core histones or nucleosome repositioning is not known.
To determine the role of chromatin in controlling the accessibility of
transcription factors to the Mn-SOD gene, we examined changes in
nuclease-hypersensitive sites, the requirement for coactivators that have the
potential to modify chromatin, and examined changes in histone acetylation at
both the PPR and the TNFRE of the Mn-SOD gene in response to TNF.
Using transcription factor-deficient cell lines, Sp1 and NF-
B p65 were
found to be required for the induction of Mn-SOD by TNF. The TNFRE
but not the PPR became hypersensitive to nuclease after TNF treatment, and
both Sp1 and NF-
B p65 were necessary for these changes. Chromatin
immunoprecipitation assays showed that Sp1 bound PPR constitutively, whereas
C/EBP-
and NF-
B p65 bound the TNFRE only after TNF induction, and
the binding of C/EBP-
to DNA required NF-
B p65. In a NF-
B
p65-dependent manner, TNF induced rapid changes in histone acetylation at both
the PPR and the TNFRE. Overexpression of the transcriptional coactivators CBP
(cAMP-responsive element-binding protein-binding protein) and p300 could
enhance TNF-mediated expression, and E1a, an adenovirus inhibitor of CBP/p300
activity, blocked the induction. Taken together, these results suggest that
induction of Mn-SOD by TNF requires communication between the PPR and
the TNFRE, a process involving chromatin remodeling and histone acetylation
that ultimately leads to the assembly of the transcription factor complex at
the PPR and the TNFRE, and in turn gene activation.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS
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Cells and ReagentsNIH3T3 murine fibroblasts were obtained
from the American Type Culture Collection. The embryonic fibroblast cell line
containing targeted disruptions of the NF-
B subunit p65 was provided by
Dr. D. Baltimore (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA). Cells
were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% bovine
calf serum (Hyclone, Inc., Logan, UT), 1 mM L-glutamine, and
antibiotics (50 units/ml penicillin and 50 µg/ml streptomycin). Human
recombinant TNF-
(Genzyme, Inc., Cambridge, MA) and trichostatin A
(TSA) were used at 500 units/ml and 150 ng/ml, respectively. To generate an
embryonic fibroblast cell line that might have characteristics more similarly
related to the p65/ line,
murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) were isolated from C57BL/6 mice and
cultured. The Sp1 knockout cell line was derived from embryonic stem cells
containing a homozygous deletion in Sp1 gene as described previously
(13). The activation of
NF-
B p65 by TNF is normal in this cell line as determined by analysis
of the IP-10 gene (13). This
analysis included mRNA production and in vivo genomic footprinting.
No wild type line prepared in a mouse identical to the
Sp1/ is available.
Sp1/ cells were grown in
-minimum Eagle's medium supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum
(Hyclone, Logan, UT), 1 mM L-glutamine, antibiotics (50 units/ml
penicillin and 50 µg/ml streptomycin), 1 ng/ml basic fibroblast growth
factor, and 4 µg/ml insulin.
Plasmids and Transient TransfectionPlasmids expressing E1a,
CBP, and p300 were provided by Drs. L. Gooding (Emory University), R. Goodman
(The Vollum Institute, Oregon Health Science Center, Portland), and Y.
Nakatani (Dana Farber Cancer Research Center, Boston), respectively. Transient
transfection of NIH3T3 cells was performed using FuGENE 6 (Roche Molecular
Biochemicals) following protocols provided by the manufacturer. Cells were
treated with TNF at 24 h post-transfection and assayed for Mn-SOD
transcripts by real time RT-PCR as indicated.
Real Time RT-PCRTotal RNA was isolated from cells using the
RNAeasy kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). For each sample, 2 µg of RNA was
reverse transcribed using Superscript II Reverse Transcriptase (Invitrogen)
according to the manufacturer's directions. Parallel reactions without reverse
transcriptase were included as negative controls. 1/50th of each reverse
transcription reaction was analyzed in a PCR containing 5% dimethyl sulfoxide,
1x SYBR (BioWhittaker Molecular Applications, Rockland, ME), 0.04%
gelatin, 0.3% Tween 20, 50 mM KCl, 20 mM Tris (pH 8.3),
3 mM MgCl2, 0.2 mM dNTP, Taq
polymerase, and 50 nM of each primer. Real time PCR was conducted
using a Bio-Rad i-cycler with denaturation at 94 °C for 15 s, annealing at
55 °C for 30 s, and extension at 68 °C for 30 s for a total of 40
cycles. Two sets of PCR assays were performed for each sample using the
following primers specific for cDNA of Mn-SOD and
-actin:
5SODRTE4, 5'-CATGTCTGTGGGAGTCCAAGGTTCAG and 3SODRTE5,
5'-GTCAATCCCCAGCAGCGGAATAAG;
-actin5-1,
5'-ACCAACTGGGACGATATGGAGAAGA; and
-actin3-1,
5'-TACGACCAGAGGCATACAGGGACAA. The threshold cycle number for
Mn-SOD was normalized to that of
-actin mRNA, and the resulting
value was converted to a linear scale. All assays were performed at least
three times from independent RNA preparations.
Adenovirus InfectionThe adenovirus dl520 producing
12S E1A was obtained from Dr. L. Gooding. NIH3T3 cells were infected with
dl520 following the procedures described previously
(14). At 24 h postinfection,
cells were treated with TNF for 4 h. RNA was then prepared and assayed for
Mn-SOD transcript by real time RT-PCR.
Micrococcal Nuclease (MNase) Sensitivity AssayNIH3T3 cells
were split and grown to about 80% confluence. The cells were washed once with
cold washing solution containing 150 mM sucrose, 80 mM
KCl, 35 mM HEPES (pH 7.4), 5 mM
K2HPO4, 5 mM MgCl2, and 0.5
mM CaCl2. The cells were permeabilized for 1 min at room
temperature with ice-cold 0.5 mg/ml lysolecithin (Sigma) dissolved in the
above washing solution. After permeabilization, the cells were washed once
with MNase buffer containing 150 mM sucrose, 50 mM NaCl,
50 mM Tris (pH 7.5), and 2 mM CaCl2 followed
by incubation with a different amount of MNase (Roche Molecular Biochemicals)
for 5 min at room temperature. The digestion reaction was stopped by the
addition of stop solution containing 50 mM Tris (pH 8.0), 300
mM NaCl, 25 mM EDTA, 0.2% SDS, and 0.2 mg/ml proteinase
K. After proteinase K digestion, genomic DNA was purified, and the
5'-ends of DNA were phosphorylated with T4 polynucleotide kinase.
Ligation-mediated PCR was then conducted as described previously
(10) using primer sets
specific for the regulatory region of Mn-SOD, which are listed in
Table I.
Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP)The ChIP assay was
performed as described previously
(15). Briefly,
formaldehyde-cross-linked nuclei lysate prepared from 4 x 106
cells was sonicated and then mixed with 5 µg of antibody prebound to
protein A-Sepharose beads and immunoprecipitated at 4 °C for overnight.
The beads were then washed, and the immunoprecipitated DNA·protein
complex was eluted from the beads. After proteinase K digestion and phenol
extraction, the eluted DNA was precipitated, dissolved in water, and used as
template in real time PCR. Anti-p65, anti-C/EBP-
, and anti-Sp1
antibodies were purchased from Santa Cruz Biotechnologies (Santa Cruz, CA).
Anti-acetylated histone H3 and anti-acetylated histone H4 antibodies were
purchased from Upstate Biotechnology (Lake Placid, NY). Quantitative PCR was
performed in a Bio-Rad i-cycler. The following primer sets were used for the
PPR: SOD5'5-3, 5'-GCCTCTACCAATTTGGCACAGG and SOD5'3-3,
5'-GAACACGGCCGTTCGCTCG. PCRs were performed for a total of 50 cycles
with denaturation at 94 °C for 15 s and annealing and extension at 68
°C for 1 min each. For the TNFRE, the primers SODRE5-1,
5'-GGATTTTTGGAAATTGCAGATCTGGG, and SODRE3-2,
5'-GGCTCCACAGAAGGATTACAATCAAGA, were used in a PCR for 50 cycles with
denaturation at 94 °C for 15 s, annealing at 56 °C for 30 s, and
extension at 72 °C for 30 s. Real time PCR was performed as above. The
amount of immunoprecipitated DNA was determined by comparison of the threshold
cycle value with a standard curve generated using a known amount of genomic
DNA as template. To correct for differences in chromatin preparations among
samples, the values of immunoprecipitated DNA were normalized to the amount of
chromatin DNA added to each ChIP reaction.
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RESULTS
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Sp1 and NF-
B p65 Are Required for the TNF Induction of
Mn-SODInduction of Mn-SOD expression by TNF is regulated
mainly at the transcriptional level in murine fibroblasts
(10,
16). In vitro DNA
binding assays and in vivo genomic footprinting analysis of the
regulatory region of the Mn-SOD gene suggest roles for Sp1 in binding
to the PPR and for NF-
B binding to the TNFRE in response to TNF
(10,
11,
17). To characterize further
the roles of Sp1 and NF-
B in TNF induction of Mn-SOD, the
level of Mn-SOD transcript in control and TNF-treated NIH3T3,
Sp1/, and
p65/ murine embryonic
fibroblasts was analyzed by real time RT-PCR
(Fig. 2A). Basal
Mn-SOD expression was similar among the tested cell lines. The
addition of TNF rapidly induced the expression of Mn-SOD in the
NIH3T3 but not in the Sp1/ and
p65/ cells, indicating that
both Sp1 and p65 are required for TNF induction of Mn-SOD in vivo.
The transcription of
-actin gene, which is not regulated by TNF, was not
induced (data not shown).

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FIG. 2. Sp1 and NF- B p65 are required for the TNF induction of
Mn-SOD. NIH3T3,
Sp1/, and
p65/ cells (A) as well
as MEF (B) were treated with TNF for the indicated times. Total RNA
was isolated, and real time RT-PCR was performed as described under
"Materials and Methods." For each cell line the results are
plotted as -fold induction over untreated cells. The average of three
independent experiments is shown ± S.E. (A).
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A freshly isolated murine embryonic cell line was also analyzed for its
ability to induce Mn-SOD in response to TNF. Real time RT-PCR found that
Mn-SOD mRNA was induced in this line, but with slower kinetics,
peaking at 24 h (Fig.
2B). Even at 24 h of TNF treatment, no Mn-SOD
mRNA was induced in either the Sp1- or p65-deficient lines (data not
shown).
TNF Induces Chromatin Accessibility at the TNFREChromatin
structure and its remodeling in response to extracellular signals have been
shown to play a crucial role in transcriptional regulation of interleukin-12,
interleukin-4, interferon-
, human immunodeficiency virus-1, the
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pho5 genes, and the murine mammary tumor
virus
(1824).
To determine whether changes in chromatin structure contribute to the
regulation of Mn-SOD expression, MNase sensitivity assays were
performed. MNase preferentially cuts DNA in nucleosome-free regions as well as
in linker regions between nucleosomes. Digestion with two different
concentrations of MNase was performed on TNF-treated and control NIH3T3 cells
after permeabilization with lysolecithin. Permeabilization procedures prevent
potential artifacts formed during nuclei preparation
(22,
25). The MNase-digested
genomic DNA was purified and analyzed by ligation-mediated PCR using primers
that amplified the PPR and the TNFRE of the Mn-SOD gene. Strong
hypersensitive banding patterns were formed on the PPR coding strand
(Fig. 3, AD)
(32 to +41) and noncoding strand (48 to 1), indicating
that the region was accessible to the nuclease and is in an "open"
configuration. An MNase-resistant region (259 to 206 and
168 to 32 on the coding strand, and 257 to 161 and
87 to 48 on the noncoding strand) was found to overlap the
proposed Sp1-binding sites of the PPR. Detection of this hyposensitive region
was not a consequence of sequence preference for MNase cleavage, as naked DNA
was cleaved by MNase at this region. Combining the data into a summary
schematic (Fig. 4) suggests
that the MNase resistant region spans
227 bp just upstream from the
transcription initiation site.

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FIG. 3A. NF- B p65 and Sp1 are necessary for TNF-induced chromatin
accessibility at the TNFRE. NIH3T3, MEF,
Sp1/, and NF- B
p65/ cells were treated with
TNF for the indicated times. After permeabilization, cells were digested with
two concentrations of MNase. Genomic DNA was collected and subjected to
ligation-mediated PCR using primer sets specific for the PPR and the TNFRE of
the Mn-SOD gene shown in Table
I. A and B, coding strand of the PPR; C
and D, noncoding strand of the PPR; E and F, coding
strand of the TNFRE; and G, noncoding strand of the TNFRE. In
AD, open boxes indicate hyposensitive regions, and solid
boxes indicate hypersensitive regions. In EG, gray boxes
indicate hypersensitive regions that become hyposensitive after TNF treatment,
and hatched boxes indicate hyposensitive regions that become
hypersensitive after TNF treatment.
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FIG. 4. Summary of MNase sensitivity experiments. A schematic of the PPR and
the TNFRE regions analyzed by MNase digestion in
Fig. 3A,
Fig. 3G is shown. For the PPR,
open boxes and solid boxes indicate MNase-hyposensitive and
-hypersensitive regions, respectively. For the TNFRE, gray boxes
indicate the hypersensitive regions that become hyposensitive after TNF
treatment, and hatched boxes indicate hyposensitive regions that
become hypersensitive after TNF treatment. The asterisks (*) above
the hatched boxes indicate TNF-induced changes that also occur in the
Sp1/ cells.
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FIG. 3G. NF- B p65 and Sp1 are necessary for TNF-induced chromatin
accessibility at the TNFRE. NIH3T3, MEF,
Sp1/, and NF- B
p65/ cells were treated with
TNF for the indicated times. After permeabilization, cells were digested with
two concentrations of MNase. Genomic DNA was collected and subjected to
ligation-mediated PCR using primer sets specific for the PPR and the TNFRE of
the Mn-SOD gene shown in Table
I. A and B, coding strand of the PPR; C
and D, noncoding strand of the PPR; E and F, coding
strand of the TNFRE; and G, noncoding strand of the TNFRE. In
AD, open boxes indicate hyposensitive regions, and solid
boxes indicate hypersensitive regions. In EG, gray boxes
indicate hypersensitive regions that become hyposensitive after TNF treatment,
and hatched boxes indicate hyposensitive regions that become
hypersensitive after TNF treatment.
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MNase digestion at the TNFRE (Fig. 3,
EG, Fig. 3,
EG) revealed three hyposensitive regions on the
coding strand (+2135 to +2145, +2240 to +2342, and +2393 to +2473), and two on
the noncoding strand (+2127 to +2141 and +2218 to +2362). These regions
overlap the binding sites of C/EBP-2, NF-
B, and NF-1. In addition, a
strong hypersensitive region overlapping C/EBP-1 and C/EBPX was detected
(+2145 to +2220 and +2162 to +2229 on the coding strand, and +2185 to +2197 on
the noncoding strand). Within 30 min of TNF treatment, a slight increase in
MNase cleavage was observed within the potential nucleosomal region on the
coding strand of the PPR, whereas the hypersensitive bands (48 to +41)
on the coding and noncoding strands maintained their intensity
(Fig. 3, A and
C). In contrast, pronounced changes were found inside the
TNFRE after 30 min of TNF induction. On both strands of the TNFRE, TNF-induced
hypersensitive bands were observed within the three hyposensitive regions,
whereas the hypersensitive bands overlapping C/EBP-1 and C/EBPX became less
pronounced (Fig. 3,
EG, Fig. 3,
EG). The alterations in the patterns are
represented in the summary diagram (Fig.
4). The hypersensitive banding patterns induced by TNF might
indicate repositioning, destabilization, or disruption of nucleosomes at those
regions. Assembly of a transcription factor complex at C/EBP-1 and C/EBPX
could reduce the MNase accessibility to that region, leading to hyposensitive
changes. It is important to note that the MEF line produced pattern similar to
those of the NIH3T3 line, suggesting that both of these lines represent a wild
type condition.
NF-
B p65 and Sp1 Are Necessary for TNF-induced
Chromatin RemodelingThe RT-PCR experiments in
Fig. 2 demonstrate that Sp1 and
NF-
B p65 were required for the induction of Mn-SOD by TNF. To
determine whether the TNF-induced changes in chromatin structure observed
above are also dependent upon Sp1 or NF-
B p65, MNase hypersensitivity
assays were performed on Sp1- and NF-
B p65-deficient fibroblast cell
lines. In the absence of TNF treatment, the banding patterns at the PPR and
the TNFRE in both mutant cells were indistinguishable from those detected in
wild type cells. After TNF treatment, the
p65/ cell line failed to
display any TNF-induced changes in the MNase sensitivity pattern
(Fig. 3A,
Fig. 3G), whereas the
Sp1/ cell line showed only
slight increases in MNase cleavage within the PPR coding strand
(Fig. 3A) and one
hyposensitive region of the TNFRE (+2240 to +2342 and +2233 to +2282 on the
coding strand, and +2218 to +2362 on the noncoding strand;
Fig. 3, EG,
Fig. 3, EG). In
addition, the TNF-induced hypersensitive region (+2135 to +2145) was still
detected upstream from the C/EBP-1 and C/EBPX in
Sp1/ cells
(Fig. 3F). These
results suggest that both Sp1 and p65 are required for the observed chromatin
structure changes in NIH3T3 and MEF wild type cells. These changes are
functionally related to Mn-SOD induction by TNF and potentially are
accomplished through interaction between the PPR and the TNFRE.
To examine the relative levels of p65, Sp1, and C/EBP in the different cell
lines, Western blot analysis was performed
(Fig. 5). The results showed
that Sp1/, NIH3T3, and the MEF
cell lines contained equal levels of p65. Additionally,
p65/ and the MEF cell lines
contained equal levels of Sp1, whereas NIH3T3 cells contained about one-third
of the level. The Sp1-deficient cell line showed the appropriate band for the
mutant protein. Equal levels of C/EBP-
expression were observed in
NIH3T3, Sp1/, and
p65/ cell lines.
Transcription Factor Assembly on Chromatin in Response to
TNFFamily members of Sp1, NF-
B, and C/EBP have been shown
to bind regulatory regions of Mn-SOD through in vitro
analysis (10,
11,
17). In vivo genomic
footprinting also confirmed the occupancy of several consensus binding
sequences for Sp1 at the PPR and for NF-
B and C/EBP at the TNFRE
(10). To determine whether
these transcription factors bind to the Mn-SOD gene under in
vivo conditions, ChIP assays coupled with quantitative real time PCR
analysis of the precipitated DNA were performed. Antibodies against Sp1,
NF-
B p65, and C/EBP-
were used. The results showed that p65 and
C/EBP-
were induced to bind the TNFRE in response to TNF with 13.8-fold
and 30-fold increase in the amount of DNA precipitated in TNF-treated cells
compared with control cells, respectively
(Fig. 6). In addition, the
binding of the two factors occurred as early as 30 min post-TNF treatment. A
small increase in p65 binding to the PPR was also detected. No significant
change in the amount of Sp1 antibody-precipitated PPR DNA was observed after
TNF treatment. Compared with the no antibody control, only a background level
of Sp1 antibody-precipitated DNA containing the TNFRE was detected,
demonstrating that Sp1 does not bind directly to this region. These results
are consistent with the model that TNF induces p65 and C/EBP-
to bind
the TNFRE, whereas Sp1 constitutively binds the PPR.
C/EBP-
Binds the TNFRE in a p65-dependent
MannerTo investigate further factor assembly at the
Mn-SOD gene, ChIP assays using antibodies against Sp1, p65, and
C/EBP-
were performed on Sp1- and p65-deficient cell lines. The results
showed that p65 failed to bind the Mn-SOD regulatory regions in both
mutant cell lines, whereas Sp1 only bound the PPR constitutively in
p65/ cells. In contrast,
C/EBP-
was still induced by TNF to bind the TNFRE in
Sp1/, but not
p65/ cells
(Fig. 6). However, the
magnitude of C/EBP-
binding in
Sp1/ cells was about 4-fold
less than that in NIH3T3 cells. The failure of C/EBP-
binding to the
TNFRE in p65/ cells was not the
result of the availability of C/EBP-
because similar amounts of
C/EBP-
were expressed in NIH3T3,
Sp1/, and
p65/ lines
(Fig. 5). These results suggest
that: 1) the presence of p65 is required for the binding of C/EBP-
to
the TNFRE of Mn-SOD; and 2) efficient assembly of transcription
factors on the TNFRE requires Sp1 binding to the PPR located 2.2 kbp
upstream.
E1a Represses Mn-SOD Induction by TNFIn addition to
potential direct interactions between the regions, it is possible that
transcriptional coactivators could contribute to the observed dependence of
the TNFRE on the binding of Sp1 to the PPR. Moreover, the activation of gene
transcription can be facilitated by transcription factor-mediated recruitment
of coactivators to promoters (for review, see Ref.
26). The adenovirus protein
E1a is known to repress transcription of some cellular genes by inhibiting the
function of CBP/p300 (27,
28). To investigate the
requirement of E1a-sensitive coactivators for Mn-SOD expression,
NIH3T3 cells were either infected or not with adenovirus expressing E1a. After
24 h of infection, cells were treated with TNF for 4 h. RNA was then isolated
and subjected to quantitative real time RT-PCR using primers specific to
Mn-SOD and
-actin cDNA. The results showed that adenovirus
infection repressed TNF induction of Mn-SOD by 70%
(Fig. 7A). The level
of
-actin mRNA was not altered by adenovirus infection (data not shown).
To determine whether this observation is caused directly by E1a and to rule
out any effects of adenovirus infection, the consequence of transiently
expressing E1a in NIH3T3 cells was also tested. The results showed that E1a
alone was able to repress TNF induction of Mn-SOD by 50%
(Fig. 7B). It is
intriguing that a dose-dependent decline was not observed. Although
transfection efficiency is a factor in the experiments and provides some
explanation for the lack of full repression, the data could also suggest that
an E1a-insensitive coactivator in addition to CBP/p300 can function in this
system.

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FIG. 7. E1a represses Mn-SOD induction by TNF. NIH3T3 cells were
either infected or not with adenovirus dl520 (A) or
transiently transfected by electroporation with pCMVE1a, which expresses E1a
(B). After 24 h of growth, cells were treated with TNF for 4 h, and
total RNA was isolated. The relative expression levels of Mn-SOD were
determined by real time RT-PCR. The mock infection/transfection samples
treated with TNF were arbitrarily set at 100%. The data were normalized to the
level of the -actin gene, and the results are plotted as the percent of
maximum induction by TNF. C, CBP and p300 enhance TNF induction of
Mn-SOD. Using cationic liposomes, NIH3T3 cells were transiently
transfected with CBP or p300 expression vectors. After 24 h of growth cells
were treated with TNF for 2 h, and total RNA was isolated. The relative levels
of Mn-SOD mRNA were determined by real time RT-PCR as described in
Fig. 1. The mock transfection
samples treated with TNF were set at 1-fold.
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CBP and p300 Enhance TNF Induction of Mn-SODTo investigate
further the potential roles of CBP and p300 in Mn-SOD expression, the
effect of their overexpression was analyzed. Vectors overexpressing CBP or
p300 were transiently transfected into NIH3T3 cells followed by treatment with
TNF for 2 h. RNA was then isolated and quantitatively analyzed by real time
RT-PCR (Fig. 7C).
Overexpression of each of the two coactivators led to a modest 2-fold increase
in Mn-SOD expression, and the increase was in a dose-dependent
manner. Expression of
-actin was not altered by coactivator
overexpression (data not shown). These results suggest that CBP/p300 may
function as coactivator for Mn-SOD induction by TNF.
Inhibition of Histone Deacetylation Is Sufficient to Activate Mn-SOD
ExpressionThe changes in nuclease sensitivity patterns and the
potential for coactivator involvement as indicated by the above experiments
suggest the possibility that acetylation of the histone N-terminal tails,
which is known to be associated with the activation of gene expression, may
also play a role in this system. TSA, a histone deacetylase inhibitor, was
shown to induce the expression of the TNF-induced gene, MCP-1
(29). To determine whether
inhibition of histone deacetylation alone can enhance Mn-SOD
transcription, NIH3T3 cells were treated with TSA. RNA was isolated and
applied in quantitative real time RT-PCR analysis using primers specific for
Mn-SOD and
-actin cDNA (Fig.
8). The results showed that addition of TSA alone to cell cultures
resulted in a moderate 3.5-fold induction of Mn-SOD mRNA after a 16-h
treatment with TSA. These results suggest that inhibition of histone
deacetylation alone is sufficient to induce the expression of Mn-SOD
gene.

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FIG. 8. TSA enhances Mn-SOD expression in the absence of TNF.
NIH3T3 cells were treated with 150 ng/ml TSA for indicated times. Total RNA
was isolated and subjected to real time RT-PCR as described above.
|
|
TNF Induces Histone H3 and H4 Acetylation at Both the PPR and the
TNFRETo determine whether TNF induction leads to acetylation at
the Mn-SOD gene, ChIP assays were performed on NIH3T3 cells using
antibodies specific for acetylated H3 or H4 histone
(Fig. 9). The results showed
that TNF induced a maximum of 1.3-fold increase in acetylation of H3 and
3-fold increase in acetylation of H4 at the PPR. A moderate increase of 2-fold
in acetylation of both H3 and H4 was detected at the TNFRE after TNF
treatment. These changes occurred in a time course consistent with the factor
binding after TNF treatment. It should be noted the histone H3 acetylation in
the PPR is very high in the constitutive state and is 10 times the level of
the basal level at the TNFRE (data not shown). Histone H3 and H4 acetylation
of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene were unchanged during the
TNF treatment, indicating that the modest changes in histone acetylation were
specific for the Mn-SOD gene. These results demonstrate that TNF
induction results in acetylation of H3 and H4 at both the PPR and the
TNFRE.
NF-
B p65 Is Indispensable for Histone Acetylation at
Both the PPR and the TNFRETo understand the role of Sp1 and
NF-
B p65 in histone acetylation of the Mn-SOD gene, ChIP
assays were performed on Sp1/
and p65/ cell lines
(Fig. 9). The results showed
no increase in histone acetylation at the PPR and the TNFRE in
p65/ cells after TNF treatment.
This suggests that TNF-induced changes in histone acetylation are dependent
upon NF-
B p65 binding. In contrast, a moderate increase in histone H3
and H4 acetylation was observed at the TNFRE in
Sp1/ cells, which was similar
to that observed in the NIH3T3 cell line. The simplest interpretation of these
data is that Sp1 plays no direct role in increasing histone acetylation at the
TNFRE in response to TNF. These results are consistent with the model that in
response to TNF the PPR and the TNFRE communicate to facilitate factor
assembly on the Mn-SOD gene through modification of the local
chromatin structure.
 |
DISCUSSION
|
|---|
The data presented above demonstrate that changes in chromatin structure
are involved in the induction process of Mn-SOD transcription in
response to TNF. Using Sp1- and NF-
B p65-deficient cell lines, genetic
correlations among the activities of Sp1, NF-
B p65, and Mn-SOD
gene regulation by TNF were provided. The binding of these factors to their
respective regions within the Mn-SOD gene was fully demonstrated by
ChIP assays. An E1a-sensitive coactivator also played a role in
Mn-SOD expression. The combined results of the nuclease digestion and
ChIP assays suggest that TNF induces an open chromatin structure within the
TNFRE and histone acetylation at the PPR and the TNFRE. These changes were
completely dependent on NF-
B p65. Because NF-
B p65 assembly in
the TNFRE requires Sp1 binding to the PPR, the results also suggest
communication between the two regions during TNF induction.
Based on the above observations and previous reports
(9,
10), the following model for
TNF-induction of the Mn-SOD gene is proposed. During constitutive or
basal Mn-SOD expression, histone H3 acetylation at the PPR is high,
suggesting that the region is accessible. Binding of Sp1 to the GC boxes in
the PPR facilitates basal expression of Mn-SOD. In the basal state,
the TNFRE is likely to be partially accessible as suggested by the detection
of the MNase-hypersensitive banding pattern at C/EBP-1/C/EBPX and
hyposensitive banding pattern at C/EBP-2/NF-
B/NF-1. After TNF
treatment, NF-
B is translocated into the nucleus and can bind the
TNFRE. NF-
B likely binds to two sites within the TNFRE, C/EBPX and the
NF-
B site, both of which were shown to bind NF-
B in
vitro (10,
11). Based on the observation
that NF-
B p65 failed to bind the TNFRE in
Sp1/ cells, the binding of Sp1
to the PPR stabilizes initial NF-
B binding to the TNFRE. Once bound,
NF-
B recruits a coactivator or coactivator complex with histone
acetyltransferase activity, such as CBP/p300. Interactions between NF-
B
and CBP have been documented in other systems
(30,
31). The recruited coactivator
acetylates histone H3 and H4 at the TNFRE and the PPR. Concurrently
NF-
B promotes the binding of C/EBP-
to the C/EBP-1 region. This
is supported by ChIP assay data showing that in
Sp1/ but not in
p65/ cell line, C/EBP-
bound the TNFRE after TNF induction. In vitro assays also
demonstrated that NF-
B p65 stimulates the DNA binding activity of
C/EBP-
(32). Additional
chromatin structural changes may also occur. For example, C/EBP-
has
been shown to recruit the SNF/SWI remodeling complex
(33). If recruited in this
system, SNF/SWI could alter chromatin structure within the TNFRE, resulting in
the opening of C/EBP-2/NF-
B/NF-1 region, as well as its surrounding
area. A result of this reorganization is the increase in factor binding. The
combined activities of factors within the complex are likely to result in the
increased recruitment of the basal transcription machinery to the PPR.
The essential role of Sp1 in Mn-SOD activation by TNF was
unexpected because the constitutive expression level of Mn-SOD in the
Sp1/ cell line was similar to
that in the wild type (data not shown). Other factors, such as Sp3, may
substitute for the activity of Sp1 during basal Mn-SOD transcription
in Sp1/ cells. Binding of Sp3
to the PPR has been shown by in vitro analysis
(11). However, Sp1 activity is
required for TNF-induced expression of Mn-SOD, indicating specific
interactions between Sp1 and other Mn-SOD-specific factors. ChIP
assays have shown that NF-
B p65 does not bind the TNFRE in the absence
of Sp1, suggesting that Sp1 may stabilize the binding of NF-
B to DNA.
Similar phenomena have been observed for the TNF induction of the
MCP-1 gene (13,
34). The DNA binding regions
of Sp1 and NF-
B are separated by 2.2 kbp of DNA sequence, which poses
the question of how Sp1 and NF-
B may physically interact. The linear
distance between Sp1 and NF-
B binding sites could be substantially
reduced if 2.2 kbp of the spacer DNA between Sp1 and NF-
B is packaged
into
11 nucleosomes. This distance might allow Sp1 and NF-
B to
contact each other directly or communicate through bridging molecules, such as
CBP/p300. The reduced binding of C/EBP-
to the TNFRE in
Sp1/ suggests that NF-
B
p65 is essential for stable C/EBP binding but also leaves open the possibility
that C/EBP-
aids in interactions with the PPR.
Numerous reports have shown the importance of NF-
B in TNF-induced
gene activation (for review, see Ref.
35). By studying TNF induction
of Mn-SOD in a NF-
B p65-deficient cell line, we found that
Mn-SOD was not induced, indicating that NF-
B p65 is required
for Mn-SOD induction, and the
B sites in the TNFRE are
specific for p65-containing isoforms. A previous report has suggested that
TNF-induction of Mn-SOD does not require NF-
B
(36), a conclusion
contradictory to ours. In that report, an I
K inhibitor failed to
repress Mn-SOD induction by TNF, leading to the conclusion that
NF-
B is not necessary for TNF-induced Mn-SOD expression. The
inconsistency could be the result of different cell lines used in the two
studies. An alternative interpretation is that multiple kinase pathways are
activated during TNF signal transduction, and treatment of cells with one
I
K inhibitor may not completely block phosphorylation of I
B and
therefore the translocation of NF-
B.
Because in ChIP assays the cross-linked chromatin DNA is sonicated into
fragments with an average size of about 600 bp it is difficult for such assays
to differentiate the functions of the two
B sites in the TNFRE because
of the small distance (about 100 bp) between them. Likewise, the roles of the
two C/EBP sites in the TNFRE cannot be determined individually. The ChIP data
confirm the role of the TNFRE in response to TNF induction, and NF-
B as
well as C/EBP-
only bind the TNFRE. Small TNF-induced increases in the
PPR DNA fragments precipitated by the p65 antibody might be caused by the
assembly of a complex bridging the PPR and the TNFRE during Mn-SOD
induction. Cross-linking of the complex would allow coprecipitation of the PPR
DNA with the TNFRE DNA by the antibodies. Alternatively, it was reported that
the 5'-promoter region of Mn-SOD had sites that could bind
NF-
B in vitro
(10). Although these sites are
incapable of driving full TNF-induced expression of Mn-SOD, they may
in fact bind NF-
B p65 and participate in expression. The current data
would be consistent with weak binding of NF-
B to these sites.
Post-translational modification of histones has been correlated with
several biological functions
(37). In the case of
acetylation, hyperacetylation correlates with gene transcription, whereas
hypoacetylation is associated with gene silencing and heterochromatin
structure. Three lines of evidence suggest a role for histone acetylation in
Mn-SOD induction. First, a requirement for coactivators with histone
acetyltransferase activity was suggested by E1A-mediated repression of
Mn-SOD and the fact that coactivator overexpression increased the
Mn-SOD mRNA level. Second, inhibition of histone deacetylase
activities with TSA was found to enhance Mn-SOD transcription.
Finally, ChIP assays showed that histone acetylation at the PPR and the TNFRE
occurs rapidly upon Mn-SOD induction by TNF. ChIP assays of histone
acetylation in NIH3T3 and p65/
cell line suggest that recruitment of coactivators with histone
acetyltransferase activity onto the Mn-SOD gene is accomplished
through NF-
B p65.
Chromatin organization and remodeling are important aspects of
transcriptional regulation of genes which are rapidly induced in response to
extracellular signals (38,
39). Nucleosome structures are
generally considered inhibitory to transcription if their locations overlap
binding sites of transcription factors or transcription start sites
(18). Repositioning of
nucleosomes leads to open chromatin structures that allow assembly of
transcription factors or basal transcription machinery on those regions. MNase
sensitivity analysis demonstrated nucleosome repositioning within the TNFRE
after TNF treatment of NIH3T3 cells. This result is consistent with the role
of the TNFRE in response to TNF. Although both Sp1 and NF-
B p65 are
essential for the TNF-induction of Mn-SOD, their participation in the
changes in chromatin nuclease sensitivity was differentiated in the
experiments presented. Compared with wild type cells, NF-
B
p65/ cells did not exhibit
nucleosome repositioning, indicating that NF-
B p65 is essential for
chromatin changes in the TNFRE in response to TNF. Partial nucleosome
repositioning occurred in the
Sp1/ cells. This result
suggests that the region is accessible to some degree. This accessibility may
be caused by the presence of Sp3 within the cell, which can bind to targets
similar to those of Sp1. The failure to remodel this region fully suggests an
important role for Sp1 in this process, which may occur by stabilizing
interactions at the TNFRE through direct interactions between the PPR and the
TNFRE, the recruitment of coactivators or chromatin remodelers, or through its
role in driving basal transcription, which could serve to open the region
continuously as RNA polymerase tracks through.
 |
FOOTNOTES
|
|---|
* This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant CA96810. The
costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of
page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked
"advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734
solely to indicate this fact. 
To whom correspondence should be addressed: Dept. of Microbiology and
Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine, 1510 Clifton Rd., Atlanta, GA
30322. Tel.: 404-727-5973; Fax: 404-727-1719; E-mail:
boss{at}microbio.emory.edu,
1 The abbreviations used are: Mn-SOD, manganous superoxide dismutase; C/EBP,
CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein; CBP, cAMP-responsive element-binding
protein-binding protein; ChIP, chromatin immunoprecipitation; MCP, monocyte
chemoattractant protein; MEF, murine embryonic fibroblast; MNase, micrococcal
nuclease; NF-1, nuclear factor-1; NF-
B, nuclear factor-
B; PPR,
proximal promoter region; RT-PCR, reverse transcription-PCR; TNF, tumor
necrosis factor; TNFRE, tumor necrosis factor-responsive element; TSA,
trichostatin A. 
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
|
|---|
We thank Drs. William G. Kelly and Guy W. Beresford for helpful suggestions
for the manuscript and discussions of this work.
 |
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