title: Activation of the wt1 Wilms' tumor suppressor gene by NF-kappaB.
abstract: The Wilm's tumor suppressor gene, wt1, is expressed in a very defined spatial-temporal fashion and plays a key role in development of the urogenital system. Transacting factors governing wt1 expression are poorly defined. The presence of putative kappa-B binding sites within the wt1 gene prompted us to investigate whether members of the NF-kappaB/Rel family of transcription factors are involved in regulating wt1 expression. In transient transfection assays, ectopic expression of p50 and p65 subunits of NF-kappaB stimulated wt1 promoter activity 10-30-fold. Deletion mutagenesis revealed that NF-kappa-B responsiveness is mediated by a short DNA fragment located within promoter proximal sequences of the major transcription start site. Two kappaB-binding sites are present in this region and form specific complexes with purified NF-kappaB proteins, as revealed by electrophoretic mobility gel shift assays. Ectopic expression of p50 and p65 resulted in increased transcription of the endogenous wt1 gene, as revealed by nuclear run-on experiments. Taken together, these results indicate that members of the NF-kappaB/Rel family are important for activating expression of wt1 and reside upstream of the regulatory cascade leading to wt1 activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dehbi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hiscott
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pelletier
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016162:Genes, Wilms Tumor; D051379:Mice; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism*; D052002:NF-kappa B p50 Subunit; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D025721:WT1 Proteins
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016328:NF-kappa B; D052002:NF-kappa B p50 Subunit; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D051996:Transcription Factor RelA; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025721:WT1 Proteins