title: Promoter characterization and genomic organization of the gene encoding integrin-linked kinase 1.
abstract: Integrin-linked kinase (ILK)-1 is a 59-kDa serine-threonine protein kinase, which associates with the cytoplasmic domain of beta 1, beta 2 and beta 3 integrins and acts as a receptor proximal kinase regulating integrin-mediated signal transduction. We have recently identified an isoform of ILK (ILK-2), which is expressed, in a TGF-beta 1-dependent manner, in a highly invasive tumor cell line but not in normal adult tissues. In contrast, ILK-1 is ubiquitously expressed in normal tissues and is up-regulated in various tumors independent of TGF-beta 1. Here, we report the structural organization and the promoter activity of the human ILK-1 gene, contained within a 8.8-kb genomic fragment cloned from a human BAC library. The mature protein is encoded by 13 exons. The last coding exon contains the entire 3' UTR of the ILK-1 gene, which overlaps with the complementary 3' UTR sequence of the TAF2H gene, a TATA box binding protein-associated factor. A major transcriptional initiation start site was found 138 bp upstream of exon 1 in close proximity to a consensus initiator element (Inr). The ILK gene is transcribed by a TATA-less and CAAT-less promoter with typical features of housekeeping genes. The promoter activity was characterized by a luciferase reporter assay and the minimal sequence conferring promoter activity was 349 bp in size and located immediately upstream of exon 1.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Franco-Luxembourgeois de Recherche Biomédicale, CNRS/CRP-Santé, University Center, 162A, avenue de la Faiencerie L-1511, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Melchior
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kreis
authors.forename: Bassam
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Janji
authors.forename: Nelly
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kieffer
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D000099200:Scaffold Protein ILK
chemical_list: D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D000099200:Scaffold Protein ILK