title: Spermatogenesis-related ring finger gene ZNF230 promoter: identification and functional analysis.
abstract: The ZNF230 gene is a recently cloned gene which is transcribed only in fertile male testes and may be related to human spermatogenesis. To characterize the multiple stage-specific transcription elements necessary for ZNF230 expression, we cloned ZNF230 promoter and constructed chimeric luciferase reporter Plasmids. Overexpression and site-directed mutation test were used to characterize the cis-element. The results showed ZNF230 gene promoter to be GC rich and not contain a TATA box. Deletion analysis of the 5'-flanking region of ZNF230 in HEK293 cells indicated that the sequence encompassing from nt -131 to +152 has a basal transcriptional activity. Site-directed mutation test and mithramycin A treatment demonstrated that the ZNF230 promoter contained a functional Sp1 site. Overexpression of the Sox5 protein activated the promoter activity. A 312-bp fragment surrounding the transcription start site exhibits a characteristic CpG island which overlaps with the promoter region. We also provided evidence that both the human and mouse znf230 promoter consist of Sp1 binding site and GC-rich sequences, suggesting Sp1 is required for the transcription of human and mouse ZNF230 genes. In conclusion, these findings suggest that ZNF230 is tightly controlled at transcriptional level and a common mechanism controls the basal transcription of ZNF230 gene.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics and Division of Human Morbid Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. wenmingx@gmail.com
authors.forename: Wenming
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Sizhong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Guoping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yunqiang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yongxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jingtao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D018899:CpG Islands / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D055755:SOXD Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C490301:SOX5 protein, human; D055755:SOXD Transcription Factors; D016329:Sp1 Transcription Factor; D014157:Transcription Factors; C440989:ZNF230 protein, human