title: Characterization of the hepatitis B virus major surface antigen promoter hepatocyte nuclear factor 3 binding site.
abstract: Transcription of the HBV 2.1 kb RNAs is regulated by the major surface antigen promoter. Previously, transient transfection analysis identified regulatory sequence elements in this promoter located between -189 and +1 which govern the level of transcription from this promoter and appear to bind only ubiquitous transcription factors including NF1, Sp1 and NF-Y. However, in vivo transcription analysis in transgenic mice has demonstrated that the expression of the HBV 2.1 kb RNAs is largely restricted to hepatocytes. In this study, the presence of a functional HNF3 transcription factor binding site located between -231 and -240 in the major surface antigen promoter suggests that the in vivo liver-restricted expression of the 2.1 kb RNAs may be governed by this liver-enriched transcription factor. The identification of a functional HNF3 binding site upstream of the DNA polymerase open reading frame also supports the contention that transient transfection analysis may fail to detect all of the cis-acting regulatory sequence elements involved in modulating the level of transcription from the viral promoters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Raney
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McLachlan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000821:virology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051541:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-alpha; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C496499:FOXA1 protein, human; C496500:Foxa1 protein, mouse; D051541:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 3-alpha; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors