title: Identification and functional analysis of the rat caspase-3 gene promoter.
abstract: Caspase-3 is the major effector in apoptosis triggered by various stimuli. Previous studies demonstrated a significant increase in transcriptional activity of the caspase-3 gene during neuronal apoptosis. Recent findings suggest that differential expression of the caspase-3 gene may underlie the regulation of apoptotic susceptibility during brain development and after acute injury to the mature brain. We identified and cloned the rat caspase-3 gene promoter, determined its structure, and examined its regulation during a course of apoptosis in PC12 cells. Results demonstrate that this promoter lacks a TATA-box and contains a cluster of Sp1 elements and multiple transcription start sites. The first identified transcription start site is located 87-bp upstream from the first splicing site. A role of Sp1 elements in the regulation of caspase-3 promoter activity is demonstrated by the inhibition of Sp1 binding using mithramycin A. Results of deletion analysis show that an Ets-1-like element located between nucleotides -1646 and -1632 relative to the most extended transcription start site is necessary to achieve sustained transcriptional activity. Homology analysis revealed that the 5'-flanking region of the human caspase-3 gene exhibits significant similarity to a regulatory region of the rat gene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D. C. 20007, USA.
authors.forename: Wenfang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Geping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Alexander G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Yakovlev
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002455:Cell Division; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007364:Intercalating Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D008156:Luciferases / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016716:PC12 Cells; D008926:Plicamycin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D050784:Proto-Oncogene Protein c-ets-1; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D050783:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets; D051381:Rats; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: C494041:ETS1 protein, human; C494043:Ets1 protein, rat; D007364:Intercalating Agents; D050784:Proto-Oncogene Protein c-ets-1; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D050783:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; C066851:mithramycin A; D008156:Luciferases; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D008926:Plicamycin