title: Identification and characterization of a novel repressor site in the human tumor necrosis factor alpha gene.
abstract: In human monocytic cell lines, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) expression is induced by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). We have identified positive and negative cis-acting elements in the TNF alpha promoter by deletion analysis. Here we present the initial characterization of the repressor element. The repressor element was shown to function in either orientation and at various distances upstream from the positive element of the TNF alpha promoter. The TNF alpha repressor site (TRS) has been localized to a 25 bp region between base pairs -254 and -230 in the promoter. This region contains a 10 bp sequence with homology to the binding site of the activator protein AP-2. Mutation of the 6 C's of this 10 bp AP-2-like site abolish TRS repressor function. However, this AP-2-like site is not a binding site for AP-2 protein based on gel retardation analysis. In addition, a well-characterized AP-2-binding site placed upstream of the positive element of the TNF alpha gene did not cause repression. Therefore, this repression is very likely mediated by a novel protein(s) which interacts with the AP-2 consensus site in the TRS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbial Chemotherapeutics and Molecular Genetics, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, NJ 07065.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Siddiqui
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Mark
mesh_terms: D001482:Base Composition; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002460:Cell Line; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D015342:DNA Probes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C083115:activator protein-2 binding element; D004247:DNA; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate