title: Derepression of the C/EBPalpha gene during adipogenesis: identification of AP-2alpha as a repressor.
abstract: During adipogenesis, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha) serves as a pleiotropic transcriptional activator of adipocyte genes. Previously, we identified dual repressive elements in the C/EBPalpha gene and a putative transacting factor (C/EBPalpha undifferentiated protein, or CUP) expressed by preadipocytes, but not adipocytes, that bind to these elements. In the present investigation, CUP was purified 17,000-fold from nuclear extracts of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Amino acid sequence and mass spectral analysis of tryptic peptides derived from purifed CUP (molecular mass approximately 50 kDa) revealed that the repressor is (or contains) an isoform of the transcription factor, AP-2alpha. Electrophoretic mobility shift and Western blot analysis on purified CUP and preadipocyte nuclear extracts confirmed the identity of CUP as AP-2alpha. Both AP-2alpha protein and CUP binding activity are expressed by preadipocytes and then decrease concomitantly during differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes into adipocytes. Consistent with a repressive role of AP-2alpha/CUP, an AP-2alpha1 expression vector, cotransfected with a C/EBPalpha promoter-reporter construct into 3T3-L1 adipocytes, inhibited reporter gene transcription. Taken together with previous results, these findings suggest that in preadipocytes the C/EBPalpha gene is repressed by AP-2alpha/CUP, which, upon induction of differentiation, is down-regulated, allowing expression of the gene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Q Q
authors.initials: QQ
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McLenithan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Geiman
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shillinglaw
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Henzel
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Lane
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002460:Cell Line; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D050656:Transcription Factor AP-2; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C493673:TFAP2A protein, human; C493668:Tfap2a protein, mouse; D050656:Transcription Factor AP-2; D014157:Transcription Factors