title: Lineage-restricted regulation of the murine SCL/TAL-1 promoter.
abstract: The SCL/TAL-1 gene encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor that is expressed in multipotent hematopoietic progenitors before lineage commitment. Its expression is maintained during differentiation along erythroid, mast, and megakaryocytic lineages, but is repressed after commitment to nonexpressing lineages. To begin to address the molecular mechanisms underlying this complex pattern of expression, we have studied the regulation of the murine SCL promoter in erythroid and T-cell lines. Analysis of the methylation and chromatin structure of the SCL promoter region showed that SCL mRNA expression correlated with DNase hypersensitive sites and methylation status of the promoter. Transient reporter assays showed that promoter 1a was active in erythroid cells but not in T cells. Sequences between -187 and +26 were sufficient for lineage-restricted activity of promoter 1a. A joint promoter construct containing both promoter 1a and promoter 1b also exhibited lineage-restricted activity. Conserved GATA (-37), MAZ (+242), and ETS (+264) motifs were all shown to contribute to SCL promoter activity in erythroid cells, but several other motifs were not required for full promoter activity. The pattern of complexes binding to the +242 MAZ and +264 ETS sites were the same in erythroid and T cells. However, GATA-1 bound the -37 GATA site in erythroid cells, whereas in T cells GATA-3 was only able to bind weakly, if at all. Moreover, GATA-1 but not GATA-2 or GATA-3 was able to transactivate SCL promoter 1a in a T-cell environment. These results suggest that inactivity of SCL promoter 1a in T cells reflected the absence of GATA-1 rather than the presence of trans-dominant negative regulators.
authors.affiliation: University of Cambridge, Department of Haematology, MRC Centre, UK.
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Bockamp
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: McLaughlin
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Murrell
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Göttgens
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Robb
authors.forename: C G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Begley
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D001665:Binding Sites; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D002843:Chromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D015672:Erythroid Precursor Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D050982:GATA1 Transcription Factor; D015870:Gene Expression; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008745:Methylation; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000737:chemistry; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D000073942:T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D002843:Chromatin; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D050982:GATA1 Transcription Factor; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor; D000073942:T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1; D014157:Transcription Factors; C494689:Gata1 protein, mouse; C489366:Tal1 protein, mouse