title: Regulation of tyrosinase gene expression by cAMP in B16 melanoma cells involves two CATGTG motifs surrounding the TATA box: implication of the microphthalmia gene product.
abstract: In melanocytes and in melanoma cells, upregulation of melanogenesis, by cAMP elevating agents, results from a stimulation of tyrosinase activity that has been ascribed to an increase in tyrosinase protein and messenger amount. However, the mechanism by which cAMP elevating agents increase tyrosinase mRNA remains to be elucidated. In this study, using a luciferase reporter plasmid containing the 2.2-kb fragment 5' of the transcriptional start site of the mouse tyrosinase gene, we showed that cAMP elevating agents lead to a strong stimulation (20-fold) of transcriptional activity of the tyrosinase promoter. Deletions and mutations in the mouse tyrosinase promoter showed that the M-box 70-bp upstream from the TATA-box and the E-box located downstream the TATA-box, near to the initiator site, are involved in the regulation of the tyrosinase promoter activity by cAMP. Additionally, we showed that microphthalmia, a b-HLH transcription factor associated with pigmentation disorders in mouse, binds to these regulatory elements and modulates the transcriptional activity of the tyrosinase promoter. Since cAMP stimulates the binding of microphthalmia to the M-box and to the E-box; it is tempting to propose that microphthalmia, through its interaction with cis-acting elements surrounding the TATA-box, plays a key role in the regulation of the mouse tyrosinase gene expression by cAMP.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U 385, Faculté de Médecine, Nice, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bertolotto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bille
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Ortonne
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ballotti
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D008546:Melanoma, Experimental / Q000201:enzymology*; D051379:Mice; D051739:Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D016385:TATA Box / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051739:Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor; C497235:Mitf protein, mouse; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D005576:Colforsin; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases