Beta-pol Promoter Research Articles

The HIV-1 transactivator protein Tat is a potent inducer of the human DNA repair enzyme beta-polymerase.

This study examines the effects of the HIV-1 regulatory proteins, Tat and Rev, on the expression of the DNA polymerase beta (beta-pol) gene, which encodes a key protein in the DNA base-excision repair pathway. The rationale for these experiments is to examine the potential involvement of base-excision repair protein deregulation in HIV-1-related lymphomas. Expression of beta-pol mRNA was examined in AIDS-related lymphomas and non-AIDS-related lymphomas and as a function of HIV-1 infection of B cells in culture. The effect of Tat or Rev over-expression on beta-pol promoter expression was tested by transient co-transfection assays with a beta-pol promoter reporter plasmid and a Tat or Rev over-expression plasmid. Northern blot analysis was used to quantitate beta-pol expression in lymphoma and cells. Raji cells were co-transfected with a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter plasmid and a plasmid over-expressing Tat or Rev. CAT activity was measured in transfected cells. beta-Pol mRNA was > 10-fold higher in AIDS-related than in non-AIDS B-lineage lymphomas. beta-Pol expression was up-regulated in a B-cell line upon infection with HIV-1, and increased in Raji cells upon recombinant expression of the Tat gene. The beta-pol promoter was transactivated (fourfold induction) by Tat, but not by Rev. Tat-dependent transactivation required a binding site for the transcription factor Sp1 in the beta-pol promoter. These results suggest that HIV-1 Tat can interact with cellular transcription factors to increase the steady-state level of beta-pol in B cells. Tat-mediated induction of beta-pol may alter DNA stability in AIDS-related lymphomas.

Kinetic analysis of Sp1-mediated transcriptional activation of the human DNA polymerase beta promoter.

In the present studies, we have examined the effect of Sp1 on the activation of the human DNA polymerase beta (beta-pol), a TATA-less promoter. A HeLa cell nuclear extract (NE) based in vitro runoff transcription system of core beta-pol promoter human DNA (pbetaP8) three-step kinetic model of transcription initiation were used to describe the kinetic effect of Sp1. The results showed that distal Sp1-binding sites in the core beta-pol promoter are important for transcriptional activation of the pbetaP8 promoter. A detailed kinetic analysis showed that Sp1 stimulates the activity of the pbetaP8 promoter through distal Sp1-binding sites by increasing the amount of recruitment, instead of stimulating the apparent rate of RPc assembly (k1). There was no significant effect of Sp1 on the apparent rate of open complex (RPo) formation (k2) or on the apparent rate of promoter clearance (k3) of the pbetaP8 promoter. These studies define the kinetic mechanisms by which Sp1 may regulate the rate of transcript formation of the pbetaP8 promoter, and these results may have implications for Sp1 regulation of TATA-less promoters.

Human DNA Polymerase-beta Promoter: Phorbol Ester Activation Is Mediated through the cAMP Response Element and cAMP-Response-Element-Binding Protein.

That mammalian DNA polymerase-beta (beta-pol) gene transcription is upregulated by activated ras and also by phorbol ester (TPA) treatment suggests the involvement of protein kinase C in the gene expression control for this DNA repair enzyme. Yet, the core promoters of the human, bovine and rodent beta-pol genes do not have a TPA response element or other binding site for the transcriptional activator AP-1. Instead, these beta-pol promoters appear to be regulated mainly by proteins binding to the cAMP response element (CRE) centered within 50 bp 5' of the transcriptional start site. In this study, the CRE in the human beta-pol promoter was found to mediate TPA upregulation of the cloned promoter in HeLa cell transient expression experiments. To further examine the role of this CRE in TPA stimulation, we used several mutated promoters that were either deficient in protein binding to the CRE or contained extra CRE sites arranged as tandem repeats. All constructs with at least one functional CRE were upregulated by TPA, whereas mutants lacking CRE protein-binding function were not TPA upregulated. Analyses of HeLa nuclear extract DNA-binding proteins indicated that the beta-pol CRE was bound by CRE-binding protein (CREB) family members CREB-1 and activating transcription factor-1, but not by AP-1 or complexes containg AP-1 subunits. These results suggest that CREB, rather than AP-1 proteins, are required for the CRE-mediated TPA activation of the beta-pol promoter.

Accurate positioning of RNA polymerase II on a natural TATA-less promoter is independent of TATA-binding-protein-associated factors and initiator-binding proteins.

Two promoter elements, the TATA element and initiator (Inr), are capable of directing specific transcription initiation of protein-encoding genes by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). Although binding to the TATA element by the TATA-binding protein (TBP) has been shown to be the initial recognition step in transcription complex formation in vitro, the mechanism through which the basal machinery assembles into a functional complex on TATA-less promoters is controversial. Evidence supporting numerous models of Inr-mediated transcription complex formation exists, including the nucleation of a complex by Inr-binding proteins, a component of the TFIID complex, or a specific upstream activator common to many TATA-less promoters, Sp1. Using various techniques, we have undertaken a systematic analysis of the natural TATA-less human DNA polymerase beta (beta-pol) gene promoter. Although the beta-pol promoter contains upstream Sp1 elements and a functional Inr that binds YY1, neither of these factors is essential for Inr-mediated transcription complex formation. A complex containing TBP, TFIIB, TFIIF, and RNAPII (DBPolF complex) is capable of forming on the promoter in an Inr-dependent manner. A single point mutation within the Inr that affects DBPolF complex formation diminishes beta-pol transcriptional activity.

Activation of the Human DNA Polymerase β Promoter by a DNA-alkylating Agent through Induced Phosphorylation of cAMP Response Element-binding Protein-1

Treatment of cells with the DNA-alkylating agent N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) induces expression of the endogenous mammalian DNA polymerase beta (beta-pol) gene and of the cloned promoter in transient expression studies. The lone cAMP response element (CRE) in the core promoter, along with functional protein kinase A, is critical for the MNNG-induced up-regulation. Recently, we described a kinetic mechanism for transcriptional regulation of the beta-pol promoter in vitro and found that CRE-binding protein (CREB) from MNNG-treated cells differentially up-regulates the promoter by stimulating formation of closed preinitiation complex (RPc). Here, using a CRE-dependent chimeric beta-pol promoter, we purified the RPc assembled with nuclear extract from MNNG-treated and control HeLa cells. Comparison of proteins in the purified RPc samples revealed that the MNNG induction is associated with a strong increase in the Ser133-phosphorylated form of recombinant CREB (CREB-1). CREB depletion of the nuclear extracts diminished transcriptional activity, and addition of purified Ser133-phosphorylated CREB-1 restored activity, whereas unphosphorylated CREB-1 did not. Addition of phosphorylated CREB-1 to the control cell extract mimicked the MNNG-induced up-regulation of transcriptional activity. These results indicate that phosphorylation of CREB-1 is the probable mechanism of activation of the beta-pol promoter after treatment of cells with the DNA-alkylating agent MNNG.

Purification and characterization of a DNA polymerase beta promoter initiator element-binding transcription factor from bovine testis.

A low-abundance DNA-binding protein for the DNA polymerase beta (beta-pol) promoter initiator element was purified from bovine testis. The transcriptional initiator element (Inr) of the mammalian beta-pol promoters characterized is highly conserved, and the bovine beta-pol promoter Inr has the sequence -11CAGAGGCGGCCATTGTT+6. The purified initiator element-binding protein (Inr-BP) binds with high affinity to an oligonucleotide corresponding to the beta-pol promoter Inr (Kd = 5 pM), and increasing ionic strength decreases stability of the protein-DNA complex. Mutational analysis of the Inr shows that the purified Inr-BP binds with sequence specificity to the sequence CCAT at -2 to +2 of the Inr, but that seven residues on the 5' side and three residues on the 3' side of the CCAT sequence are required also. Using an in vitro transcription assay with HeLa cell nuclear extract, we find that the endogenous Inr-BP is required for transcriptional activity of the beta-pol promoter; addition of purified Inr-BP restores activity to the nuclear extract depleted in Inr-BP by affinity chromatography. These results, based upon the sequence specificity for DNA binding, indicate that Inr-BP is a YY1-like protein and suggest that it is a required transcription factor in beta-pol gene expression.

DNA Damage-Induced Transcriptional Activation of a Human DNA Polymerase .beta. Chimeric Promoter: Recruitment of Preinitiation Complex in Vitro by ATF/CREB

Treatment of hamster cells in culture with the DNA alkylating agent N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) induces DNA polymerase beta (beta-pol) gene expression and cellular levels of the enzyme. Transcriptional activity of a cloned beta-pol promoter in transient expression assays is also stimulated. Among the requirements for these responses are methylation damage to genomic DNA, cellular cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and the ATF/CREB site of the cloned beta-pol promoter. In the present study, HeLa cell nuclear extract from MNNG-treated cells was much more active in an in vitro transcription assay than nuclear extract from normal cells. By using an oligonucleotide affinity column to deplete the nuclear extract of ATF/CREB, we showed that the difference was due to ATF/CREB activator. Purified ATF/CREB activator from MNNG-treated cells was approximately 10-fold more active than ATF/CREB purified from normal cells as a transcriptional activator for the depleted nuclear extract. ATF/CREB in the extract from normal cells is known to activate in vitro transcription by increasing the rate of promoter clearance [Narayan, S., Widen, S. G., Beard, W. A., & Wilson, S. H. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 12755-12763]. With ATF/CREB from MNNG-treated cells, the amount of preinitiation complex formed was much greater than with ATF/CREB from normal cells, and the kinetics of both the closed to open preinitiation complex isomerization and promoter clearance were altered. These results indicate that the mechanism of transcriptional activation secondary to DNA alkylation damage is recruitment of more preinitiation complex and alteration of the kinetic scheme of transcription initiation.

RNA polymerase II transcription. Rate of promoter clearance is enhanced by a purified activating transcription factor/cAMP response element-binding protein.

The core promoter of the human DNA beta-polymerase (beta-pol) gene is regulated by proteins binding at 3 GC boxes and the single activating transcription factor/cAMP response element (ATF/CRE) centered at -45; the central 8 residues of this ATF/CRE match the ATF/CRE consensus sequence, TGACGTCA. Previously, we purified a beta-pol promoter ATF/CRE-binding protein (named palindrome-binding protein or PBP) from bovine testes and found that this protein is a beta-pol promoter transcriptional activator in vitro using a HeLa nuclear extract transcription system (Widen, S. G., and Wilson, S. H. (1991) Biochemistry 30, 6296-6305). In this study, we determined the mechanism of in vitro transcriptional activation by this purified PBP. We used a PBP-depleted HeLa nuclear extract transcription system with an artificial promoter containing a solitary activator element corresponding to the entire 22-nucleotide beta-pol promoter ATF/CRE-binding site. Kinetic analyses of the 180-nucleotide run-off product formation indicated that stimulation of transcriptional activity by PBP was due entirely to an increase in the rate constant for promoter clearance. Thus, under our conditions, the purified PBP had no effect on the rate of closed preinitiation complex formation or for the closed complex to open complex transition. Instead, the rate of productive initiation leading to the 180-nucleotide transcript was stimulated by PBP. We found that the rate of closed preinitiation complex formation was not in rapid equilibrium with promoter and RNA polymerase II, in contrast to the model with prokaryotic RNA polymerase transcription. The results also indicated that PBP binding to the ATF/CRE is required for the stimulation of promoter clearance. These studies define the kinetic mechanism of a purified ATF/CRE-binding protein in stimulation of the in vitro transcription of a designed mammalian promoter.

DNA damage response of cloned DNA beta-polymerase promoter is blocked in mutant cell lines deficient in protein kinase A.

DNA beta-polymerase (beta-pol), one of the recognized DNA polymerizing enzymes in vertebrates, has a role in 'very short patch' gap-filling synthesis during nucleotide excision DNA repair. In human and mouse, the enzyme is encoded by a single-copy gene located on the short arm of chromosome 8 near the centromere. In a series of studies, we have found that the cloned human beta-pol promoter is regulated by signals acting through the single ATF/CRE palindrome in the core promoter. These signals include transactivation by: adenovirus E1a/E1b proteins; activated p21ras; and in CHO cells, treatment with the DNA damaging agent MNNG. Hence, several types of stimulatory signals are mediated through the single ATF/CRE site, including DNA damage induction. To understand the mechanism of beta-pol promoter activation by MNNG in CHO cells, we asked whether induction of the cAMP/protein kinase A pathway can increase transcription of the cloned promoter in this system. Agents that increase cellular cAMP levels (8-BrcAMP; forskolin and IBMx) activated the beta-pol promoter fusion gene in transient expression experiments, and a mutation in the ATF/CRE palindrome blocked this response. Thus, the ATF/CRE site appears to be cAMP responsive in the CHO cell system. We found that the activation of the cloned beta-pol promoter by MNNG does not occur with two mutant CHO cell lines that are deficient in protein kinase A activity. Further, simultaneous treatment of wild-type CHO cells, with MNNG and to elevate cAMP, failed to result in an additive effect for activation of the beta-pol promoter. Thus, these effectors may act through a common pathway. These results suggest that the activation of the cloned beta-pol promoter in CHO cells following MNNG treatment is mediated through the cAMP/protein kinase A signal transduction pathway.

The cloned promoter of the human DNA beta-polymerase gene contains a cAMP response element functional in HeLa cells.

The mammalian DNA beta-polymerase (beta-pol) gene is constitutively expressed in cultured cells as a function of growth stage and DNA replication, but is expressed in rodents in a tissue-specific fashion. As revealed by transient expression experiments with wild-type and mutated beta-pol promoter fusion genes, the cloned human beta-pol promoter is transcriptionally regulated by signals acting through the single palindromic sequence (GT-GACGTCAC) known as an ATF/CRE-binding site centered at position -45 in the core promoter. Although the mere presence of the ATF/CRE palindromic sequence in a promoter does not always confer cAMP responsiveness or protein binding over and around the ATF/CRE sequence, we find that agents that increase cAMP levels (forskolin and IBMX) in HeLa cells activate the beta-pol promoter; activation also can be observed by coexpression of the protein kinase A catalytic subunit. Experiments with mutagenized beta-pol promoters indicate that the ATF/CRE-binding site mediates these effects. Thus, the ATF/CRE-binding site in the context of this TATA-less constitutive promoter is able to respond to the kinase A signal transduction pathway.

Human beta-polymerase gene. Structure of the 5′-flanking region and active promoter.

DNA polymerase beta (beta-pol) is a housekeeping enzyme considered to be involved in DNA repair in vertebrate cells. We cloned a fragment of genomic DNA spanning the first two exons of the human beta-pol gene and approximately 11 kilobases of the flanking region. The segment just 5' of the transcription start site can direct expression of the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene in HeLa cells. A sequence containing only 113 base pairs of flanking DNA has promoter activity, and various constructs containing up to 4.8 kilobases of flanking sequence are expressed at a similar level, indicating that with this assay the important regulatory elements are located within or proximal to the approximately 100-bp core promoter. S1 nuclease mapping was used to show that transcription of the transfected genes is initiated at the same position as the endogenous beta-pol gene. The region upstream of the transcription start site is G + C rich and contains neither CAAT nor TATA boxes, but does have three decanucleotide elements matching high affinity binding sites for the RNA polymerase II transcription factor Sp1. Extending 5' from position -39 and surrounded by Sp1 consensus binding elements, there is a 10-nucleotide sequence with perfect dyad symmetry, GTGACGTCAC. Similar sequences are found in a number of cellular and viral promoters, including several adenovirus promoters. Experiments to test whether the core beta-pol promoter is activated by the adenovirus early region products showed that cotransfection with an adenovirus expression plasmid strongly activates expression of the beta-pol promoter.