title: Analysis of promoter activity and 5' genomic structure of the neural cell adhesion molecule L1.
abstract: To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of expression of the neural cell adhesion molecule L1 and into the exon-intron structure of the L1 gene, a genomic clone from the mouse was characterized. The clone was identified by screening an EMBL3 library with an L1-specific cDNA probe and comprises approximately 15 kb, in which the first 2,206 nucleotides of the coding region are included. Of the 5 of 6 immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains sequenced, all are encoded by 2 exons, with the first exon being smaller than the second. The exon encoding the signal peptide is separated from a mini-exon containing 15 bp by a large intron, approximately 2.6 kb in length, whereas the other introns are smaller, with the coding information for the Ig-like domains 3-5 clustered in a 1,643-bp-long fragment with introns only 110-217 bp in length. The 5' upstream region of the clone comprises 5 kb, with the first 112 bp lying upstream to the coding sequence and containing a start site for transcription. No consensus sequence for a TATA box was found. Consensus DNA sequences for the binding of the gene products of Hox 1.3, engrailed and bicoid, are localized upstream to the transcription start site. A 1,262-bp fragment containing part of the first exon showed promoter activity in neuroblastoma cells, but hardly in L cells and not in CHO cells, indicating that this fragment is sufficient for neural cell directed promoter activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kohl
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Giese
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Mohajeri
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Montag
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moos
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schachner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D005091:Exons; D016678:Genome; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D015347:RNA Probes; D012260:Ribonucleases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex; D009841:Oligonucleotides; D015347:RNA Probes; D008156:Luciferases; D012260:Ribonucleases