Transcriptional "silencer" element in rat repetitive sequences associated with the rat insulin 1 gene locus.
The enhancer elements from either simian virus 40 or murine sarcoma virus activate the expression of a transfected rat insulin 1 (rI1) gene when placed within 2.0 kilobases or less of the rI1 gene cap site. Inclusion of 4.0 kilobases of upstream rI1 sequence, however, results in a substantial reduction in the enhancer-dependent insulin gene expression. These observations suggested that a negative transcriptional regulatory element was present between 2.0 and 4.0 kilobases of the rI1 sequence. To test this notion, we employed a heterologous enhancer-dependent transcription assay in which the simian virus 40 72-base-pair repeat is linked to a human beta-globin gene. Addition of the upstream rI1 element to this system decreased the level of enhancer-dependent beta-globin transcription by a factor of 5 to 15. This rI1 "silencer" element functions in a manner relatively independent of position and orientation and requires a cis-dependent relationship to the transcription unit on which it acts. Thus, the silencer sequence seems to have a number of the characteristics of enhancer elements, and we suggest that it may function by the converse of the enhancer mechanism. The rI1 silencer sequence was identified as a member of a long interspersed rat repetitive family. Thus, a potential role for certain repetitive sequences interspersed throughout the eukaryotic genome may be to regulate gene expression by retaining transcriptional activity within defined domains.
D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D007328:Insulin / Q000235:genetics*; D007739:L Cells; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014162:Transfection
D004274:DNA, Recombinant; D007328:Insulin; D005914:Globins