title: Transcription stimulation of the Fas-encoding gene by nuclear factor for interleukin-6 expression upon influenza virus infection.
abstract: We previously found that the level of Fas, a cell surface receptor for an apoptosis signal, increases at the mRNA level in influenza virus-infected HeLa cells prior to their death by apoptosis. Here we investigated the mechanism of activation of the Fas-encoding gene expression upon influenza virus infection. Nucleotide sequences for the binding of nuclear factor for interleukin-6 expression (NF-IL6), also known as CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta, were repeated 8 times in the 5'-end region of the human FAS gene, spanning from -1360 to +320. This region directed the expression of a downstream marker gene when introduced into HeLa cells and the activity of the FAS gene promoter was stimulated about 2-fold upon influenza virus infection. Gene expression driven by the FAS promoter was activated when human NF-IL6 was overproduced in a DNA when human NF-IL6 was overproduced in a DNA co-transfection study. Moreover, the DNA-binding activity of NF-IL6 increased after infection with the virus, whereas the amount of NF-IL6 seemed unchanged. The results suggest that NF-IL6 is activated upon influenza virus infection through post-translational modification and that the modified factor stimulates the transcription of the human FAS gene.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohba
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takizawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
mesh_terms: D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D019014:fas Receptor
chemical_list: D000954:Antigens, Surface; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015850:Interleukin-6; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D019014:fas Receptor; D004247:DNA