title: Histone H1-like protein participates in endothelial cell-specific activation of the von Willebrand factor promoter.
abstract: A region of the von Willebrand factor (VWF) promoter has been identified that is necessary to confer endothelial cell-specific activation to the VWF promoter. This region spans sequences +155 to +247 and contains binding sites for GATA6 and NFY transcription factors. To identify potential DNA binding transcription factors that directly interact with these sequences in an endothelial-specific manner, we have performed extensive gel mobility assays with use of 7 overlapping DNA probes that collectively span this entire region. An endothelial-specific protein DNA complex was formed with an oligonucleotide that corresponded to sequences +155 to +184 of the VWF gene. Mutation analysis identified a 6-nucleotide element corresponding to sequences +164 to +169 as the core-binding region for the formation of this complex. Transfection analysis demonstrated that the mutation, which abolished DNA-protein interaction, resulted in significant inhibition of the VWF promoter activity. DNA pull-down analysis, mass spectrometry, and Western blot analysis demonstrated that a 32-kDa polypeptide with homology to histone H1 constituted the endothelial-specific DNA binding protein, or a DNA binding subunit of this protein complex. On the basis of these results, we hypothesize that an H1-like protein functions as an endothelial cell-specific transcriptional activator of the VWF promoter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: Xinyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yiwen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Yuliang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jahroudi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006657:Histones / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006657:Histones; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D004247:DNA