title: Octamer factors exert a dual effect on the IL-2 and IL-4 promoters.
abstract: The promoters of IL-2 and IL-4 genes contain multiple binding sites for octamer factors. In peripheral T lymphocytes and several T cell lines, both the ubiquitous Oct factor Oct-1 and the lymphocyte-specific factor Oct-2 are expressed and bind to the IL-2 and IL-4 promoters. Prominent octamer binding sites of IL-2 and IL-4 promoters are their upstream promoter sites (UPS) which share 14 identical nucleotides. Multiple copies of the IL-2 and IL-4 UPS act as inducible enhancers in T cells, and their induction is inhibited by the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A (CsA). Closely linked to the octamer site, the IL-2 UPS contains a non-canonical AP-1 binding (TRE) site, and mutation in either site to a non-functional factor binding site impairs the induction of the IL-2 promoter. The binding of AP-1 and octamer factors to the IL-2 UPS DNA overlaps, and the tight association and functional cooperation of octamer with AP-1 factors is of crucial importance for the inducible IL-2 UPS activity. Introduction of five or ten spacer nucleotides between both IL-2 UPS sites results in a drastic reduction of inducible UPS activity, both in the loss of suppression by CsA and stimulation by the Ca(2+)-dependent phosphatase calcineurin. Within the IL-4 UPS the Oct and TRE-like motifs are separated by a binding site of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NF-AT). This site shares nine out of ten bp with an IL-2 NF-AT site. The strong binding of NF-ATp to the IL-4 UPS site suppresses the simultaneous binding of Oct factors to the IL-4 UPS. Because the two other Oct binding sites of IL-4 promoter show a similar sequence configuration, the binding of NF-AT seems to prevent the simultaneous binding of Oct factors to the IL-4 promoter. By contrast, both classes of factors bind simultaneously to the IL-2 promoter, and their tight association with AP-1 enhances the IL-2 promoter activity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pfeuffer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klein-Hessling
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinfling
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chuvpilo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Escher
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brabletz
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hentsch
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schwarzenbach
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Matthias
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Serfling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1 / Q000502:physiology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007376:Interleukin-2; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D015847:Interleukin-4