title: Tissue specificity of enhancer and promoter activities of a HERV-K(HML-2) LTR.
abstract: Transient expression of a luciferase reporter gene was used to evaluate tissue-specific promoter and enhancer activities of a solitary extraviral long terminal repeat (LTR) of the human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K) in several human and CHO cell lines. The promoter activity of the LTR varied from virtually not detectable (GS and Jurkat cells) to as high as that of the SV40 early promoter (Tera-1 human testicular embryonal carcinoma cells). The negative regulatory element (NRE) of the LTR retained its activity in all cell lines where the LTR could act as a promoter, and was also capable of binding host cell nuclear proteins. The enhancer activity of the LTR towards the SV40 early promoter was detected only in Tera-1 cells and was not observed in a closely related human testicular embryonal carcinoma cell line of different origin, NT2/D1. A comparison of proteins bound to central part of the LTR in nuclear extracts from Tera-1 and NT2/D1 by electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed striking differences that could be determined by different LTR enhancer activities in these cells. Tissue specificity of the SV40 early promoter activity was also revealed.
authors.affiliation: Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, 117871 Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Ruda
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Akopov
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Trubetskoy
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Manuylov
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Vetchinova
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zavalova
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Nikolaev
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Sverdlov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D006224:Cricetinae; D020077:Endogenous Retroviruses / Q000235:genetics*; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006801:Humans; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D020079:Terminal Repeat Sequences / Q000502:physiology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D008156:Luciferases