title: Retinoic acid mediates down-regulation of the alpha-fetoprotein gene through decreased expression of hepatocyte nuclear factors.
abstract: alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP), a protein highly induced during fetal liver development, is down-regulated by retinoids in the human hepatoma cell line Hep3B, in contrast to up-regulation observed in other cell types. Previously, we have documented that such up-regulation involves direct effects through cis-retinoid X receptor-binding sites in the AFP enhancer. In this report, we show a distinctive effect of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) in Hep3B cells. RA caused a marked decrease in AFP transcripts. Deletion analysis of the upstream regulatory region of the AFP gene revealed that cis-acting sites required for down-regulation resided near the promoter. Gel mobility shift assays for factors binding to key elements in the AFP promoter region demonstrated that hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF) 1 binding was diminished in nuclear extracts from RA-treated cells. In addition, HNF4, which is not known to bind to the AFP promoter but does regulate HNF1, was also diminished. The levels of HNF1 and HNF4 mRNA were also decreased following RA treatment. AFP promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase transient transfection assays demonstrated that the level of HNF1 had a direct impact on basal transcription as well as RA-mediated down-regulation of the AFP gene, and that co-transfection of HNF1 and HNF4, but not transfection of either factor alone, reversed the RA-mediated inhibition. Taken together these data point to an interaction among the RA, HNF1, and HNF4 signals, which is reflected in decreased expression of AFP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California 90509, USA.
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Magee
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: El-Houseini
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Locker
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Wan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D002460:Cell Line; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D051537:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1; D051538:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-alpha; D051539:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-beta; D051557:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4; D006801:Humans; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D051778:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C496487:HNF1A protein, human; C496495:HNF1B protein, human; D051538:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-alpha; D051557:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4; C496489:Hnf1a protein, rat; C403128:MLX protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D051537:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1; D051539:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-beta; D014212:Tretinoin