Promoter activity of the 1731 Drosophila retrotransposon in a human monocytic cell line.
The resemblance between retrotransposons and retroviruses suggests an evolutionary relationship and indicates that they may share common transcription factors. We have analyzed the behaviour of the Drosophila 1731 retrotransposon promoter in the human monocytic U937 cell line. We show that the long terminal repeat (LTR) of 1731 promotes CAT (chloramphenicol acetyl transferase) activity in these cells, in which it is enhanced by phorbol esters. Using gel mobility assays, we detected a human nuclear protein that binds in the U3 region of the LTR in a sequence-specific manner. Its precise target was determined by a DNase I footprinting experiment.
UA CNRS 1135, Groupe de Génétique Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Université P. et M. Curie, Paris, France.
S
S
Codani-Simonart
J
J
Lacoste
M
M
Best-Belpomme
F
F
Fourcade-Peronnet
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002460:Cell Line; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D004247:DNA; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I