title: Transcription factor Egr-1 activates collagen expression in immortalized fibroblasts or fibrosarcoma cells.
abstract: Synovial fibroblasts from rheumatoid arthritis patients express elevated levels of the transcription factor Egr-1. The metabolic consequences of Egr-1 overexpression in fibroblasts are not known in detail. Therefore we searched for gene products that are differentially expressed in Egr-1(high) versus Egr-1(low) fibroblasts. Immortalized synovial fibroblasts were transfected with two different Egr-1 expression vectors. Expression of recombinant Egr-1 was confirmed by RT-PCR and immunoblots. Random arbitrarily primed PCR revealed that Egr-1 induces enhanced transcription levels of the alpha1 chain of type I collagen. Increased expression of the alpha2 (I) chain could also be observed. We found enhanced levels of type I collagen propeptide in supernatants and stronger signals of alpha2 (I) protein in extracts of the Egr-1(high) expressing clone versus controls. Additionally, Egr-1 was transiently expressed in fibrosarcoma cells. These cells showed a pronounced elevation of type I collagen (alpha1) transcripts as well. Moreover, we could demonstrate that Egr-1 induces transcription of other genes including type II collagen (alpha1) and plateled-derived growth factor beta1. These data suggest that upregulation of Egr-1 might contribute tofibrosis observed in rheumatoid arthritis synovium by activation of genes encoding the alpha1 and alpha2 chains of type I collagen.
authors.affiliation: Research Laboratories, Center for Orthopedic Surgery, University Hospital Tubingen, Pulvermühlstrasse 5, D-72070 Tübingen, Germany
authors.forename: Dorothea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Judex
authors.forename: Rotraud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meyringer
authors.forename: Michaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weis-Klemm
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gay
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Müller-Ladner
authors.forename: Wilhelm K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Aicher
mesh_terms: D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003094:Collagen / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D005354:Fibrosarcoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D015151:Immunoblotting; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D012313:RNA / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013583:Synovial Membrane / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497325:EGR1 protein, human; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D012313:RNA; D003094:Collagen