title: Cloning and analysis of the promoter region of the rat SM22 alpha gene.
abstract: We have cloned and sequenced a 1.9 kb fragment of the 5'-upstream sequence of the smooth-muscle-specific gene SM22 alpha. The region cloned consisted of the SM22 alpha promoter, a 65 bp exon containing most of the 5'-untranslated region and 307 bp of the first intron. A 1.5 kb fragment at the 5' end of this sequence was able to drive the expression of a reporter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene in both vascular smooth-muscle cells and Rat-1 fibroblasts. This promoter region did not contain a consensus TATAA box but contained the sequence TTTAAA 25 bp from the major start site identified by primer extension. Deletion analysis showed that a fragment of the promoter from +65 to -303 was more active in both cell types than the 1.5 kb fragment suggesting that there are silencer sequences in the region 5' to the core promoter. CAT activity was also observed with fragments containing bases +65 to -193 and +65 to -117 in smooth-muscle cells. In contrast with the smooth-muscle cells, no CAT activity was detected in Rat-1 fibroblasts with the smallest two fragments. The residual promoter activity in the smallest fragment of the SM22 alpha promoter tested suggested that, unlike the smooth-muscle alpha-actin promoter, transcription from the SM22 alpha promoter can occur in smooth-muscle cells in the absence of factors binding to CC(A/Trich)6GG (CArG box) or CANNTG (E box) motifs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Cambridge University, U.K.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Kemp
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Osbourn
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Grainger
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons; D015698:Genomic Library; D007438:Introns; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats / Q000235:genetics*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D016385:TATA Box; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C058992:Tagln protein, mouse; C051615:transgelin; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase