title: The rat arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase gene promoter. cAMP activation via a cAMP-responsive element-CCAAT complex.
abstract: A 10-100-fold rhythm in the activity of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AA-NAT; EC 2.3.1.87) controls the rhythm in melatonin synthesis in the pineal gland. In some mammals, including the rat, the high nocturnal level of AA-NAT activity is preceded by an approximately 100-fold increase in AA-NAT mRNA. The increase in AA-NAT mRNA is generated by norepinephrine acting through a cAMP mechanism. Indirect evidence has suggested that cAMP enhances AA-NAT gene expression by stimulating phosphorylation of a DNA-binding protein (cAMP-responsive element (CRE)-binding protein) bound to a CRE. The nature of the sites involved in cAMP activation was investigated in this report by analyzing the AA-NAT promoter. An approximately 3700-base pair fragment of the 5'-flanking region of the rat AA-NAT gene was isolated, and the major transcription start points were mapped. The results of deletion analysis and site-directed mutagenesis indicate that cAMP activation requires a CRE.CCAAT complex consisting of a near-perfect CRE and an inverted CCAAT box located within two helical turns.
authors.affiliation: Section on Neuroendocrinology, Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology, NICHD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baler
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Covington
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000235:genetics*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000201:enzymology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D000242:Cyclic AMP; D001191:Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase