N-myc oncogene expression in neuroblastoma is driven by Sp1 and Sp3.
Regulation of N-myc oncogene expression is an important determinant of the biological behavior of neuroblastoma. The N-myc promoter contains several potential binding sites for transcription factors of the Sp1 family. Mutation of a CT-box motif contained within a 26 bp region required for N-myc downregulation by retinoic acid decreased basal transcriptional activity and altered DNA-protein interactions of the promoter, while mutations flanking this motif did neither. On super-shift, this region was shown to recruit Sp1 and Sp3 transcription factor proteins, while a functionally significant CT-box mutation resulted in their replacement by NF-1 transcription factor. Lysates from Drosophila S2 cells expressing exogenous Sp1, Sp3, and NF-1 proteins were able to partially mimic gel shift complexes seen with neuroblastoma nuclear extract and either wild type or mutant probes. Transient transfections of S2 cells showed that both individually and together, Sp1 and Sp3 were able to trans-activate a wild type CT-box-driven luciferase reporter construct in a dose-dependent manner. Transfection of the wild type but not mutant CT-box oligonucleotide was able to decrease endogenous N-myc expression in neuroblastoma cells. Together these results suggest that the CT-box element serves a critically functional role, and in the basal state, allows for N-myc trans-activation by Sp1 and Sp3. Moreover when mutated, the CT-box may still function as a binding motif for alternate transcription factors such as NF-1 that can allow persistent N-myc expression.
Molecular Carcinogenesis Section, Cancer Etiology Program, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, The University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1236 Lauhala Street, Honolulu, HI 96813-2424, USA.
Matthew C
MC
Tuthill
Randal K
RK
Wada
Jason M
JM
Arimoto
Christine N
CN
Sugino
Kelli K
KK
Kanemaru
Kenneth K
KK
Takeuchi
Neil
N
Sidell
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004330:Drosophila; D016259:Genes, myc / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000235:genetics; D025542:Neurofibromin 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051705:Sp3 Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000235:genetics*; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D025542:Neurofibromin 1; C497121:SP3 protein, human; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051705:Sp3 Transcription Factor; D014212:Tretinoin