title: Characterization of the mouse adenylyl cyclase type VIII gene promoter: regulation by cAMP and CREB.
abstract: Adenylyl cyclase (AC) type VIII has been implicated in several forms of neural plasticity, including drug addiction and learning and memory. In the present study, we directly examined the role for the transcription factor CREB (cAMP response element binding protein) in regulating ACVIII expression by cloning a 5.2 kilobase region upstream of the translation start site of the mouse ACVIII gene. Analysis of this fragment revealed consensus elements for several transcription factors, including a canonical cAMP response element (CRE) in close proximity to the transcription initiation region. Next, ACVIII promoter activity was studied in two neural-derived cell lines and in primary cultures of rat striatal neurons. Activation of the cAMP pathway by forskolin treatment increased promoter activity, and a series of deletion and point mutants demonstrated that this activation is mediated specifically via the canonical CRE site. Gel shift assays confirmed that this site can bind CREB and several CREB family proteins. Further, activation of the ACVIII promoter by forskolin was potentiated by expression of a constitutively active form of CREB, CREB-VP16, whereas it was inhibited by expression of a dominant-negative form of CREB, A-CREB. Finally, over-expression of CREB in vivo, by viral-mediated gene transfer, induced ACVIII promoter activity in the brains of ACVIII-LacZ transgenic mice. These results suggest that the ACVIII gene is regulated by CREB in vitro and in vivo and that this regulation may contribute to CREB-dependent neural plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06508, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Yan G
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bolaños
authors.forename: Zia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Ralph J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: DiLeone
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Nestler
mesh_terms: D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D005576:Colforsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016716:PC12 Cells; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D005576:Colforsin; D000242:Cyclic AMP; D000262:Adenylyl Cyclases; C118292:adenylyl cyclase 8