title: Activation of the mouse TATA-less and human TATA-containing UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 promoters by hepatocyte nuclear factor 1.
abstract: UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1 (UGT1A1) catalyzes the glucuronidation of bilirubin in liver. Among all UGT isoforms identified to date, it is the only relevant bilirubin-glucuronidating enzyme in human. Because glucuronoconjugation is the major route of bilirubin elimination, any genetic alteration that affects bilirubin glucuronosyltransferase activity may result in a more or less severe hyperbilirubinemia. In this study, we report the cloning and characterization of the transcriptional regulation of the mouse UGT1A1 gene. Primary-structure analysis of the mouse Thymidine Adevice promoter revealed marked differences with its human homolog. First, the mouse promoter lacks the highly polymorphic thymidine/adenine repeat occurring in the human promoter, which has been associated with some forms of hyperbilirubinemia. Second, an L1 transposon element, which is absent in the human promoter, is found 480 bp upstream of the transcription start site in mouse. Using the electromobility shift and DNase I footprinting experiments, we have identified a hepatocyte nuclear factor 1-binding site in the mouse UGT1A1 promoter that confers responsiveness to both factors HNF1alpha and HNF1beta in HEK293 cells. Furthermore, we show that this element, which is conserved in the human promoter, also confers strong HNF1 responsiveness to the human UGT1A1 gene. Together, these results provide evidence for a major regulatory function of this liver-enriched transcription factor in UGT1A1 activity in both rodents and human.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Biologie Animale, Bâtiment de Biologie, Université de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goudonnet
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Artur
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Desvergne
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wahli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D014453:Glucuronosyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D051537:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1; D051538:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-alpha; D051539:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-beta; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor / Q000502:physiology; D016385:TATA Box; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C496487:HNF1A protein, human; C496495:HNF1B protein, human; D051538:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-alpha; C496488:Hnf1a protein, mouse; C496496:Hnf1b protein, mouse; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051537:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1; D051539:Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 1-beta; D014453:Glucuronosyltransferase