title: Cooperation and competition between the binding of COUP-TFII and NF-Y on human epsilon- and gamma-globin gene promoters.
abstract: The nuclear receptor COUP-TFII was recently shown to bind to the promoter of the epsilon- and gamma-globin genes and was identified as the nuclear factor NF-E3. Transgenic experiments and genetic evidence from humans affected with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin suggest that NF-E3 may be a repressor of adult epsilon and gamma expression. We show that, on the epsilon-promoter, recombinant COUP-TFII binds to two sites, the more downstream of which overlaps with an NF-Y binding CCAAT box. Binding occurs efficiently to either the 5' or the 3' COUP-TFII site but not to both sites simultaneously. However, adding recombinant NF-Y induces the formation of a stable COUP-TFII.NF-Y-promoter complex at concentrations of COUP-TFII that would not give significant binding in the absence of NF-Y. Mutations of the promoter indicate that COUP-TFII cooperates with NF-Y when bound to the 5' site, whereas binding at the 3' site is mutually exclusive. Likewise, in the gamma-promoter, COUP-TFII binds to a site overlapping the distal member of a duplicated CCAAT box, competing with NF-Y binding. Transfections in K562 cells show that both the mutation of the 5' COUP-TFII or of the NF-Y site on the epsilon-promoter decrease the activity of a luciferase reporter; the mutation of the 3' COUP-TFII site has little effect. These results, together with transgenic experiments suggesting a repressive activity of COUP-TFII on the epsilon-promoter and the observation that, on the 3' site, COUP-TFII and NF-Y binding is mutually exclusive, suggest that COUP-TFII may exert different effects on epsilon transcription depending on whether it binds to the 5' or to the 3' site. At the 5' site, COUP-TFII might cooperate with NF-Y, forming a stable complex, and stimulate transcription; at the 3' site, COUP-TFII might compete for binding with NF-Y and, directly or indirectly, decrease gene activity.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Università di Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liberati
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Cera
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Secco
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mantovani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ottolenghi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ronchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D023081:CCAAT-Binding Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D051837:COUP Transcription Factor II; D051836:COUP Transcription Factors; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011987:Receptors, Steroid; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D023081:CCAAT-Binding Factor; D051837:COUP Transcription Factor II; D051836:COUP Transcription Factors; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005914:Globins; D011987:Receptors, Steroid; D014157:Transcription Factors; C497587:Nr2f2 protein, mouse; C095569:NR2F2 protein, human