title: Hormonal regulation of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene. Role of specific CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein isoforms.
abstract: The CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBP) is a transcription factor that trans-activates a number of metabolically important genes. Previous work has demonstrated that C/EBPalpha and C/EBPbeta have the potential to mediate the cAMP responsiveness of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) in liver cells. However, these studies used GAL4 fusion proteins and artificial promoter-reporter gene vectors in transfection experiments; as a result, these studies only indicated that both isoforms had the potential to mediate the hormonal response and not which isoform actually participated in vivo. To address this issue, we produced hepatoma cell lines that stably expressed either a dominant negative inhibitor or antisense RNA for these two main liver C/EBP isoforms. Inhibition of all C/EBP isoforms via expression of the dominant negative protein eliminated cAMP responsiveness, and reduced glucocorticoid responsiveness, of the endogenous PEPCK gene in hepatoma cells. Antisense directed against C/EBPalpha mRNA, which reduced C/EBPalpha protein levels by nearly 80%, also significantly reduced the cAMP responsiveness of the endogenous PEPCK promoter, whereas antisense directed against C/EBPbeta was without effect. There was no major alteration in cAMP signaling in the C/EBPalpha antisense cells, as cAMP induction of the C/EBPbeta gene was similar to that in wild-type H4IIE cells. These data suggest that the alpha-isoform of C/EBP is specifically utilized for mediating the cAMP responsiveness of the PEPCK gene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E5, Canada.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Crosson
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Roesler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000201:enzymology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010729:Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (GTP) / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010957:Plasmids; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D016372:RNA, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012260:Ribonucleases; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D016372:RNA, Antisense; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012313:RNA; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D012260:Ribonucleases; D010729:Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (GTP)