title: cAMP response element of murine cytomegalovirus immediate early gene enhancer is transactivated by ras oncogene products.
abstract: Products of ras oncogenes strongly stimulate the activity of the reporter gene, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), driven by a 1.2 kb fragment of the murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) immediate early (IE) gene enhancer (pCMVCAT). To define the role of proteins binding to the unique cAMP response element (CRE) present in the IE enhancer, NIH 3T3 cells were cotransfected with prasZip6 plasmid, a mammalian expression vector containing a v-Ha-ras cDNA, together with p(delta)ACMVCAT (pCMVCAT without the CRE sequence). Lower stimulation of CAT activity was indeed observed upon deletion of the CRE sequence. Decreased levels of p(delta)ACMVCAT were also observed in cell lines carrying stably transfected ras oncogenes. Further support for the role of the CRE sequence in MCMV enhancer activation comes from the finding that v-Ha-ras expression increases the activity of a reporter gene, beta-galactosidase, driven by three tandem copies of CRE sequence about six-fold. Moreover, this transactivation was prevented by cotransfection of the dominant inhibitor mutant Ha-ras (Leu-61; Ser-186) and was not suppressed by cotransfection of Ha-ras (Asn-17), suggesting that the effect is due to activated ras protein, rather than normal p21ras. Finally the transactivation observed is accompanied by an increase in nuclear proteins binding to a labelled oligonucleotide homologous to the CRE sequence, as shown in a gel retardation assay. These results suggest that the CRE element contributes to the transactivation of the MCMV IE gene enhancer by ras oncogenes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Medical School of Novara, University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gaboli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Angeretti
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lembo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gariglio
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gribaudo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Landolfo
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D001665:Binding Sites; D002457:Cell Extracts; D002467:Cell Nucleus; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000235:genetics*; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D016296:Mutagenesis; D015689:Oncogene Protein p21(ras) / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D002457:Cell Extracts; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; C044582:immediate-early proteins, cytomegalovirus; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D015689:Oncogene Protein p21(ras)