title: Activation and repression sequences determine the lens-specific expression of the rat gamma D-crystallin gene.
abstract: Rat lens nuclear extracts contain a factor that binds to position -57 to -46 of the rat gamma D-crystallin promoter region. This factor protects the sequence 5'-CTGCCAACGCAG-3' in a footprint analysis. Binding to this region is crucial for maximal promoter activity in rat lens cells, but this sequence was unable to act as an enhancer when cloned in front of a heterologous promoter. A region directly upstream from this activating sequence, between position -85 to -67, acts as a strong silencer of promoter activity in non-lens cells. This silencing effect is mediated by trans-acting factor(s). Our data provide evidence for two regulatory elements in rat gamma D-crystallin gene expression, an activating sequence active in lens cells and a silencing sequence active only in non-lens cells. The factor that binds to the activating sequence could be detected only in lens cells and may be a determinant of the lens-specific expression of the gamma-crystallin genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Peek
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kraft
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Klok
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Lubsen
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Schoenmakers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003459:Crystallins / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004848:Epithelium / Q000502:physiology; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D015183:Restriction Mapping
chemical_list: D003459:Crystallins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D004247:DNA; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase