title: Positive and negative regulation of the composite octamer motif of the interleukin 2 enhancer by AP-1, Oct-2, and retinoic acid receptor.
abstract: The differentiating agent retinoic acid (RA) has been previously reported to interfere with 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)/Ca2+-induced signals for the regulation of the -96 to -66-bp octamer motif found in the enhancer for the interleukin (IL)-2 gene, which encodes a major T lymphocyte growth factor. The IL-2 octamer motif is a composite cis-element which binds Oct-1 and Oct-2 as well as a TPA/Ca2+-inducible nuclear factor, previously termed octamer-associated protein (OAP40). We show here that Oct-2, despite the presence of an active transcriptional activation domain, requires TPA/Ca2+-induced signals to strongly transactivate the IL-2 octamer motif in Jurkat T cells. This Oct-2-dependent transactivation is inhibited by RA. The presence of an intact COOH-terminal domain of Oct-2 contributes to both TPA/Ca2+-induced transactivation and the RA-mediated repression. We also show that both Fos and Jun components of the AP-1 factors participate in the OAP40 complex. Furthermore, transfected c-jun, jun-B, jun-D, c-fos, or Fos-B expression vectors partially substitute for TPA and Ca2+ and cooperate with Oct-2 for the transactivation of the combined OAP/octamer cis-element. Mutations of the genuine octamer-binding site abrogate both the binding of Oct-1 and Oct-2 and the TPA/Ca2+-induced transactivation of the OAP/octamer motif. OAP confers to Oct-2 responsivity to both TPA/Ca2+ and RA, since specific mutations of the AP-1/OAP-binding site significantly reduce the transactivation by Oct-2 in response to TPA and Ca2+ and abolish the inhibition by RA. Furthermore, retinoic acid receptor (RAR) alpha is able to inhibit in vitro the formation of the complex between the nuclear AP-1/OAP and its specific binding site, resulting in the interference with Oct-2-dependent cis-regulatory function of this AP-1 element. Therefore, we propose that the TPA/calcium-activated AP-1/OAP element is the main target of positive or negative regulatory signals influencing the IL-2 octamer motif, through synergism with Oct-2 and antagonism by RAR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine, University of L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: de Grazia
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Felli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vacca
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maroder
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cappabianca
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Meco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Screpanti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frati
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gulino
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D015759:Ionomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D050813:Octamer Transcription Factor-2; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000502:physiology; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun / Q000502:physiology*; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid / Q000502:physiology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D014157:Transcription Factors; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007376:Interleukin-2; D050813:Octamer Transcription Factor-2; C058435:POU2F2 protein, human; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016755:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid; D014157:Transcription Factors; D015759:Ionomycin; D004247:DNA; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate