title: A conserved initiator element on the mammalian poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 promoters, in combination with flanking core elements, is necessary to obtain high transcriptional activity.
abstract: Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a conserved nuclear protein present in nearly all eukaryotes. In mammalian cells, its abundant expression and its ability to specifically bind to DNA strand breaks make it an important enzyme in the rapid cellular response to DNA damage. Although the promoter regions of the three known mammalian PARP-1 genes, from human, rat and mouse, are different, they share common features, such as multiple GC-rich regions, lack of a functional TATA box, and presence of a putative initiator element. In this study, we analyzed the core promoter region of the rat PARP-1 gene, and show that it contains a functional initiator element surrounding the transcription start site. This core element lies within an approximately 40-base-pair region that is highly conserved in all three mammalian PARP-1 promoters. Furthermore, we show that other core elements located upstream and downstream of the PARP-1 initiator, including a functional Sp1 target site, synergize to regulate rat PARP-1 transcription. As the initiator region of all three PARP-1 gene promoters is highly conserved, their transcriptional regulation is likely achieved through similar mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Oncology and Molecular Endocrinology Research Center, CHUL Research Center, 2705 Laurier Blvd., Ste-Foy, QC, Canada G1V 4G2.
authors.forename: Marc-André
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Laniel
authors.forename: Guy G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Poirier
authors.forename: Sylvain L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Guérin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D006801:Humans; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases / Q000235:genetics*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases