title: Regulation of enhanced vacuolar H+-ATPase expression in macrophages.
abstract: The proton-translocating vacuolar ATPase (V-ATPase) acidifies the endocytic network of eukaryotic cells. Although all eukaryotic cell types require low to moderate levels of V-ATPase, some proton-secreting cells express amplified levels for use in specialized membrane domains. To characterize genetic elements required for this heightened expression, we studied transcription and stability of mRNA encoding the V-ATPase c subunit in a low expressing fibroblast cell line (NIH 3T3) and a high expressing macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7). Isolation of the promoter and mapping of the transcriptional start site indicated that the c subunit promoter is TATA-less and initiates transcription at a single site. Promoter activity was regulated through the same transcription factor binding sites in both cell types, which showed no discernible difference in rates of c subunit transcription. In contrast, c subunit transcripts showed markedly greater stability in RAW cells than in 3T3 cells, as did other constitutively expressed V-ATPase subunit transcripts. Only the B and 'a' subunits, which are expressed in multiple isoforms, were not regulated solely by mRNA stability. These results suggest that overall expression levels of the V-ATPase are set primarily by regulation of mRNA stability and that transcriptional mechanisms determine subunit composition in varying cell types.
authors.affiliation: Renal Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Shui-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Krits
authors.forename: Shuting
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Beth S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D024506:5' Flanking Region; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D005091:Exons; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D008264:Macrophages / Q000201:enzymology*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D016385:TATA Box; D025262:Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D025262:Vacuolar Proton-Translocating ATPases