Identification of a vitamin D3 response element in the fibronectin gene that is bound by a vitamin D3 receptor homodimer

Abstract

Fibronectin (FN) is an important adhesive noncollagenous glycoprotein involved in maintenance of the extracellular matrix and cell adhesiveness, loss of which has been implicated in the metastatic potential of cells. Regulation of FN occurs at the transcriptional level by the active metabolite of vitamin D3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3). Transient transfection of homologous and heterologous promoter reporter constructs into ROS 17/2,8 (rat osteosarcoma), NIH 3T3 (mouse fibroblast), and MCF-7 (human mammary carcinoma) cell lines showed a consistent two- to threefold induction of transcription when stimulated with 1,25-(OH)2D3. These heterologous promoter transfection studies with gel shift analysis locate a third, natural DR6-type vitamin D responsive element (VDRE) at nucleotide positions -171 to -154 in the murine FN promoter. Interestingly, this VDRE is also present in rat and human FN promoters. This study shows that 1,25-(OH)2D3 induces FN transcription from an existing elevated basal transcriptional activity by acting through two putative hexameric core binding motifs which bind VDR homodimers. Furthermore, the FN VDRE is the first homodimer-type VDRE that is not overlaid by a DR3-type structure. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.