The cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate- and the glucocorticoid-dependent enhancers are targets for insulin repression of tyrosine aminotransferase gene transcription.

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The pathway of gluconeogenesis is activated in liver shortly after birth and is controlled by glucagon and glucocorticoids, which stimulate, and insulin, which inhibits, the expression of genes coding for gluconeogenic enzymes. To understand the molecular basis of this cell type-specific and coordinate control, we analyzed the cis-regulatory elements of the tyrosine aminotransferase gene, which confer liver cell-specific expression in dependence of these hormones. The cAMP-responsive element (CRE) of the TAT gene is an essential element within a liver-specific enhancer and is recognized by the CRE-binding protein (CREB) in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The glucocorticoid response is mediated by a complex regulatory unit comprised of the glucocorticoid receptor and other transcription factor-binding sites. Here, we show that both the cAMP- and glucocorticoid-inducible enhancers are targets for the antagonistic effects of insulin. The insulin-responsive sequences coincide with the CREB-binding site of the cAMP-responsive enhancer and a hepatocyte nuclear factor-3-binding site within the glucocorticoid-responsive unit. This design of the hormone-dependent enhancers reflects the molecular mechanism underlying the onset of tyrosine aminotransferase expression at birth when insulin levels decrease and concentrations of glucagon and glucocorticoids increase.