title: Cyclic AMP stimulates MEG3 gene expression in cells through a cAMP-response element (CRE) in the MEG3 proximal promoter region.
abstract: MEG3 is a human maternally expressed gene that potentially acts as a non-coding RNA. Our laboratory found that a cDNA isoform of MEG3, MEG3a, inhibits cell proliferation. MEG3 is highly expressed in the normal human pituitary but not expressed in clinically non-functioning pituitary tumors, suggesting that this imprinted gene may be involved in pituitary tumorigenesis. Previously we demonstrated that hypermethylation of the MEG3 promoter region is associated with the loss of MEG3 expression in pituitary tumors, potentially by blocking the binding of transcription factors to their cis-elements. To further investigate the cis- and trans-factors that are important for the regulation of MEG3, we have characterized the human MEG3 promoter. A single transcription initiation site was identified by 5' RACE. Up to 5kb of the 5'-flanking region of MEG3 gene was cloned into a reporter plasmid. Deletion and mutation analysis suggest that a cAMP response element (CRE), located between -69 and -49 of the MEG3 proximal promoter region, is critical for promoter activity. Consistent with this finding, Northern blot analysis demonstrate that elevated intracellular cAMP levels stimulate MEG3 expression in human fibroblasts in culture. Furthermore, gel shifting, ChIP analysis, and co-transfection experiments show that CREB directly binds to the CRE site and stimulates MEG3 promoter activity. Therefore, MEG3 is a downstream target gene of cAMP. Together with the anti-proliferative function of cAMP, our data suggest that MEG3 may interact with the cAMP-dependent signaling pathway to be involved in the control of cell proliferation and other cAMP-related physiological functions.
authors.affiliation: Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Xun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yunli
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Ansell
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klibanski
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; D020218:Response Elements / Q000187:drug effects*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D024363:Transcription Initiation Site; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; C498907:MEG3 non-coding RNA, human; D011506:Proteins; D062085:RNA, Long Noncoding; D000242:Cyclic AMP