Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1987 Jun;84(12):4254–4258. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.12.4254

Upstream DNA sequences required for tissue-specific expression of the HLA-DR alpha gene.

P A Sherman, P V Basta, J P Ting
PMCID: PMC305063  PMID: 3495805

Abstract

We have used in vitro deletion mutagenesis in combination with DNA transfection to search for cis-acting regulatory elements involved in the tissue-specific expression of a human class II major histocompatibility complex gene. A 140-base-pair 5' flanking fragment that contains the class II box consensus sequences and an octamer sequence (ATTTGCAT) confers tissue specificity on the promoter of the HLA-DR alpha gene. Recombinant DNA plasmids containing this DR alpha gene segment fused to the coding sequence of the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene are expressed at higher levels in human B-cell lines than in human T-cell lines. We have demonstrated that the most 5' of the class II boxes is essential for tissue-specific DR alpha promoter function. In addition, using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay to identify DNA binding proteins, we have detected binding of nuclear proteins to DNA probes containing the class II boxes and the octamer sequence. A protein that binds to the octamer is present at higher levels in nuclear extracts of B-cell lines than in other cell lines examined. This protein may be important for the tissue-specific expression of the HLA-DR alpha gene.

Full text

PDF
4254

Images in this article

4256Image
on p.4256
4256Image
on p.4256
4256Image
on p.4256
4257Image
on p.4257
4257Image
on p.4257

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Accolla R. S., Carra G., Guardiola J. Reactivation by a trans-acting factor of human major histocompatibility complex Ia gene expression in interspecies hybrids between an Ia-negative human B-cell variant and an Ia-positive mouse B-cell lymphoma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Aug;82(15):5145–5149. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.15.5145. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ares M., Jr, Mangin M., Weiner A. M. Orientation-dependent transcriptional activator upstream of a human U2 snRNA gene. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Jul;5(7):1560–1570. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.7.1560. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Basta P. V., Sherman P. A., Ting J. P. Identification of an interferon-gamma response region 5' of the human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen DR alpha chain gene which is active in human glioblastoma multiforme lines. J Immunol. 1987 Feb 15;138(4):1275–1280. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bergman Y., Rice D., Grosschedl R., Baltimore D. Two regulatory elements for immunoglobulin kappa light chain gene expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Nov;81(22):7041–7045. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.22.7041. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Boss J. M., Strominger J. L. Cloning and sequence analysis of the human major histocompatibility complex gene DC-3 beta. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Aug;81(16):5199–5203. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.16.5199. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Boss J. M., Strominger J. L. Regulation of a transfected human class II major histocompatibility complex gene in human fibroblasts. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Dec;83(23):9139–9143. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.23.9139. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Bradford M. M. A rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem. 1976 May 7;72:248–254. doi: 10.1006/abio.1976.9999. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Breathnach R., Chambon P. Organization and expression of eucaryotic split genes coding for proteins. Annu Rev Biochem. 1981;50:349–383. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.50.070181.002025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Ciliberto G., Buckland R., Cortese R., Philipson L. Transcription signals in embryonic Xenopus laevis U1 RNA genes. EMBO J. 1985 Jun;4(6):1537–1543. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb03814.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dignam J. D., Lebovitz R. M., Roeder R. G. Accurate transcription initiation by RNA polymerase II in a soluble extract from isolated mammalian nuclei. Nucleic Acids Res. 1983 Mar 11;11(5):1475–1489. doi: 10.1093/nar/11.5.1475. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Falkner F. G., Zachau H. G. Correct transcription of an immunoglobulin kappa gene requires an upstream fragment containing conserved sequence elements. Nature. 1984 Jul 5;310(5972):71–74. doi: 10.1038/310071a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Fried M., Crothers D. M. Equilibria and kinetics of lac repressor-operator interactions by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Nucleic Acids Res. 1981 Dec 11;9(23):6505–6525. doi: 10.1093/nar/9.23.6505. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Friedman R. L., Stark G. R. alpha-Interferon-induced transcription of HLA and metallothionein genes containing homologous upstream sequences. Nature. 1985 Apr 18;314(6012):637–639. doi: 10.1038/314637a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Garner M. M., Revzin A. A gel electrophoresis method for quantifying the binding of proteins to specific DNA regions: application to components of the Escherichia coli lactose operon regulatory system. Nucleic Acids Res. 1981 Jul 10;9(13):3047–3060. doi: 10.1093/nar/9.13.3047. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Gillies S. D., Folsom V., Tonegawa S. Cell type-specific enhancer element associated with a mouse MHC gene, E beta. Nature. 1984 Aug 16;310(5978):594–597. doi: 10.1038/310594a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Gladstone P., Pious D. Identification of a trans-acting function regulation HLA-DR expression in a DR-negative B cell variant. Somatic Cell Genet. 1980 Mar;6(2):285–298. doi: 10.1007/BF01538802. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Gorman C. M., Moffat L. F., Howard B. H. Recombinant genomes which express chloramphenicol acetyltransferase in mammalian cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1982 Sep;2(9):1044–1051. doi: 10.1128/mcb.2.9.1044. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Hirt B. Selective extraction of polyoma DNA from infected mouse cell cultures. J Mol Biol. 1967 Jun 14;26(2):365–369. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(67)90307-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Houghton A. N., Thomson T. M., Gross D., Oettgen H. F., Old L. J. Surface antigens of melanoma and melanocytes. Specificity of induction of Ia antigens by human gamma-interferon. J Exp Med. 1984 Jul 1;160(1):255–269. doi: 10.1084/jem.160.1.255. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Kaufman J. F., Auffray C., Korman A. J., Shackelford D. A., Strominger J. The class II molecules of the human and murine major histocompatibility complex. Cell. 1984 Jan;36(1):1–13. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90068-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Krol A., Lund E., Dahlberg J. E. The two embryonic U1 RNA genes of Xenopus laevis have both common and gene-specific transcription signals. EMBO J. 1985 Jun;4(6):1529–1535. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb03813.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Landolfi N. F., Capra J. D., Tucker P. W. Interaction of cell-type-specific nuclear proteins with immunoglobulin VH promoter region sequences. Nature. 1986 Oct 9;323(6088):548–551. doi: 10.1038/323548a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Larhammar D., Hammerling U., Denaro M., Lund T., Flavell R. A., Rask L., Peterson P. A. Structure of the murine immune response I-A beta locus: sequence of the I-A beta gene and an adjacent beta-chain second domain exon. Cell. 1983 Aug;34(1):179–188. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90148-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Larhammar D., Servenius B., Rask L., Peterson P. A. Characterization of an HLA DR beta pseudogene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 Mar;82(5):1475–1479. doi: 10.1073/pnas.82.5.1475. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Mattaj I. W., Lienhard S., Jiricny J., De Robertis E. M. An enhancer-like sequence within the Xenopus U2 gene promoter facilitates the formation of stable transcription complexes. Nature. 1985 Jul 11;316(6024):163–167. doi: 10.1038/316163a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. O'Sullivan D. M., Larhammar D., Wilson M. C., Peterson P. A., Quaranta V. Structure of the human Ia-associated invariant (gamma)-chain gene: identification of 5' sequences shared with major histocompatibility complex class II genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Jun;83(12):4484–4488. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.12.4484. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Parslow T. G., Blair D. L., Murphy W. J., Granner D. K. Structure of the 5' ends of immunoglobulin genes: a novel conserved sequence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 May;81(9):2650–2654. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.9.2650. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Queen C., Stafford J. Fine mapping of an immunoglobulin gene activator. Mol Cell Biol. 1984 Jun;4(6):1042–1049. doi: 10.1128/mcb.4.6.1042. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Roehm N. W., Leibson H. J., Zlotnik A., Kappler J., Marrack P., Cambier J. C. Interleukin-induced increase in Ia expression by normal mouse B cells. J Exp Med. 1984 Sep 1;160(3):679–694. doi: 10.1084/jem.160.3.679. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Rosenthal A. S., Shevach E. M. Function of macrophages in antigen recognition by guinea pig T lymphocytes. I. Requirement for histocompatible macrophages and lymphocytes. J Exp Med. 1973 Nov 1;138(5):1194–1212. doi: 10.1084/jem.138.5.1194. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Saito H., Maki R. A., Clayton L. K., Tonegawa S. Complete primary structures of the E beta chain and gene of the mouse major histocompatibility complex. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Sep;80(18):5520–5524. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.18.5520. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Singh H., Sen R., Baltimore D., Sharp P. A. A nuclear factor that binds to a conserved sequence motif in transcriptional control elements of immunoglobulin genes. Nature. 1986 Jan 9;319(6049):154–158. doi: 10.1038/319154a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Sive H. L., Roeder R. G. Interaction of a common factor with conserved promoter and enhancer sequences in histone H2B, immunoglobulin, and U2 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Sep;83(17):6382–6386. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.17.6382. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Sompayrac L. M., Danna K. J. Efficient infection of monkey cells with DNA of simian virus 40. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Dec;78(12):7575–7578. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.12.7575. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Staudt L. M., Singh H., Sen R., Wirth T., Sharp P. A., Baltimore D. A lymphoid-specific protein binding to the octamer motif of immunoglobulin genes. Nature. 1986 Oct 16;323(6089):640–643. doi: 10.1038/323640a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Strauss F., Varshavsky A. A protein binds to a satellite DNA repeat at three specific sites that would be brought into mutual proximity by DNA folding in the nucleosome. Cell. 1984 Jul;37(3):889–901. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90424-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Unanue E. R., Beller D. I., Lu C. Y., Allen P. M. Antigen presentation: comments on its regulation and mechanism. J Immunol. 1984 Jan;132(1):1–5. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Walker M. D., Edlund T., Boulet A. M., Rutter W. J. Cell-specific expression controlled by the 5'-flanking region of insulin and chymotrypsin genes. Nature. 1983 Dec 8;306(5943):557–561. doi: 10.1038/306557a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES