title: The ERV-9 LTR enhancer is not blocked by the HS5 insulator and synthesizes through the HS5 site non-coding, long RNAs that regulate LTR enhancer function.
abstract: A solitary long terminal repeat (LTR) of ERV-9 human endogenous retrovirus is located upstream of the HS5 site in the human beta-globin locus control region and possesses unique enhancer activity in erythroid K562 cells. In cells transfected with plasmid LTR-HS5-epsilonp-GFP, the LTR enhancer activates the GFP reporter gene and is not blocked by the interposed HS5 site, which has been reported to have insulator function. The LTR enhancer initiates synthesis of long RNAs from the LTR promoter through the intervening HS5 site into the epsilon-globin promoter and the GFP gene. Synthesis of the sense, long LTR RNAs is correlated with high level synthesis of GFP mRNA from the epsilon-globin promoter. Mutations of the LTR promoter and/or the epsilon-globin promoter show that (i) the LTR enhancer can autonomously initiate synthesis of LTR RNAs independent of the promoters and (ii) the LTR RNAs are not processed into GFP mRNA or translated into GFP. However, reversing the orientation of the LTR in plasmid (LTR)rev-HS5-epsilonp-GFP, thus reversing the direction of synthesis of LTR RNAs in the antisense direction away from the epsilon-globin promoter and GFP gene drastically reduces the level of GFP mRNA and thus LTR enhancer function. The results suggest that the LTR-assembled transcription machinery in synthesizing non-coding, LTR RNAs can reach the downstream epsilon-globin promoter to activate transcription of the GFP gene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
authors.forename: Jianhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: Wenhu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pi
authors.forename: Xiuping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Chikh
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bengra
authors.forename: Qiaoming
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Huaqian
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seyfang
authors.forename: Dorothy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tuan
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I / Q000378:metabolism; D020077:Endogenous Retroviruses / Q000235:genetics*; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006801:Humans; D020014:K562 Cells; D019901:Locus Control Region; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D022661:RNA, Untranslated / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D020079:Terminal Repeat Sequences; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
chemical_list: D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D022661:RNA, Untranslated; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D005914:Globins; D003850:Deoxyribonuclease I