title: Cloning and characterization of the mouse vitamin D receptor promoter.
abstract: The gene encoding the mouse vitamin D receptor has been cloned. A new exon 1 has been found that changes the numbering established for the human VDR gene. Exons 2 and 3 in the human VDR gene (coding for the zinc fingers 1 and 2, respectively) are named exons 3 and 4 in the mouse vitamin D receptor. The 1.5-kb 5'-flanking region of the new exon 1 was analyzed and revealed the presence of putative cis-acting elements. Despite the absence of a TATA box, this 5'-flanking region contains several characteristics of a GC-rich promoter including four Sp1 sites present in tandem and two CCAAT boxes. Interestingly, the Sp1 site that is the most proximal to the new exon 1 overlaps a perfect site for Krox-20/24. Krox-20 is a transcription factor involved in brain development, and also in bone remodeling. In luciferase reporter gene expression assays, we showed that sequences from this 5'-flanking region elicit high transactivation activity. Furthermore, in the NIH 3T3 cell line, a 3- to 5-fold increase in response to forskolin treatment (an activator of adenylate cyclase and in turn of protein kinase A pathway) was observed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jehan
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: DeLuca
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005091:Exons; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol