Human Core Promoter Research Articles

Epithelial-mesenchymal reprogramming by KLF4-regulated Rictor expression contributes to metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the deadliest cancers in the world. Metastasis is considered one of the leading causes of treatment failure and death in NSCLC patients. A crucial factor of promoting metastasis in epithelium-derived carcinoma has been considered as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Rictor, one of the components of mTORC2, has been reportedly involved in EMT and metastasis of human malignancies. However, the regulatory mechanisms of Rictor, Rictor-mediated EMT and metastasis in cancers remain unknown. Our present study indicates that Rictor is highly expressed in human NSCLC cell lines and tissues and is regulated, at least partially, at the transcriptional level. Knockdown of Rictor expression causes phenotype alterations through EMT, which is accompanied by the impairment of migration and invasion ability in NSCLC cells. Additionally, we have cloned and identified the human Rictor core promoter for the first time and confirmed that transcription factor KLF4 directly binds to the Rictor promoter and transcriptionally upregulated Rictor expression. Knockdown of KLF4 results in Rictor's downregulation accompanied by a series of characteristic changes of mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) and significantly decreases migration, invasion as well as metastasis of NSCLC cells. Re-introducing Rictor in KLF4-knockdown NSCLC cells partially reverses the epithelial phenotype to the mesenchymal phenotype and attenuates the inhibition of cell migration and invasion caused by KLF4 knocking down. Knockdown of KLF4 prevents mTOR/Rictor interaction and metastasis of NSCLC in vivo. The understanding of the regulator upstream of Rictor may provide an opportunity for the development of new inhibitors and the rational design of combination regimens based on different metastasis-related molecular targets and finally prevents cancer metastasis.

Computational identification and experimental characterization of preferred downstream positions in human core promoters.

Metazoan core promoters, which direct the initiation of transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II), may contain short sequence motifs termed core promoter elements/motifs (e.g. the TATA box, initiator (Inr) and downstream core promoter element (DPE)), which recruit Pol II via the general transcription machinery. The DPE was discovered and extensively characterized in Drosophila, where it is strictly dependent on both the presence of an Inr and the precise spacing from it. Since the Drosophila DPE is recognized by the human transcription machinery, it is most likely that some human promoters contain a downstream element that is similar, though not necessarily identical, to the Drosophila DPE. However, only a couple of human promoters were shown to contain a functional DPE, and attempts to computationally detect human DPE-containing promoters have mostly been unsuccessful. Using a newly-designed motif discovery strategy based on Expectation-Maximization probabilistic partitioning algorithms, we discovered preferred downstream positions (PDP) in human promoters that resemble the Drosophila DPE. Available chromatin accessibility footprints revealed that Drosophila and human Inr+DPE promoter classes are not only highly structured, but also similar to each other, particularly in the proximal downstream region. Clustering of the corresponding sequence motifs using a neighbor-joining algorithm strongly suggests that canonical Inr+DPE promoters could be common to metazoan species. Using reporter assays we demonstrate the contribution of the identified downstream positions to the function of multiple human promoters. Furthermore, we show that alteration of the spacing between the Inr and PDP by two nucleotides results in reduced promoter activity, suggesting a spacing dependency of the newly discovered human PDP on the Inr. Taken together, our strategy identified novel functional downstream positions within human core promoters, supporting the existence of DPE-like motifs in human promoters.

Highly diversified core promoters in the human genome and their effects on gene expression and disease predisposition

BackgroundCore promoter controls transcription initiation. However, little is known for core promoter diversity in the human genome and its relationship with diseases. We hypothesized that as a functional important component in the genome, the core promoter in the human genome could be under evolutionary selection, as reflected by its highly diversification in order to adjust gene expression for better adaptation to the different environment.ResultsApplying the “Exome-based Variant Detection in Core-promoters” method, we analyzed human core-promoter diversity by using the 2682 exome data sets of 25 worldwide human populations sequenced by the 1000 Genome Project. Collectively, we identified 31,996 variants in the core promoter region (− 100 to + 100) of 12,509 human genes (https://dbhcpd.fhs.um.edu.mo). Analyzing the rich variation data identified highly ethnic-specific patterns of core promoter variation between different ethnic populations, the genes with highly variable core promoters, the motifs affected by the variants, and their involved functional pathways. eQTL test revealed that 12% of core promoter variants can significantly alter gene expression level. Comparison with GWAS data we located 163 variants as the GWAS identified traits associated with multiple diseases, half of these variants can alter gene expression.ConclusionData from our study reals the highly diversified nature of core promoter in the human genome, and highlights that core promoter variation could play important roles not only in gene expression regulation but also in disease predisposition.

Identification of the human DPR core promoter element using machine learning.

The RNA polymerase II (Pol II) core promoter is the strategic site of convergence of the signals that lead to transcription initiation1-5, but the downstream core promoter in humans has been difficult to decipher1-3. Here, we analyze the human Pol II core promoter and use machine learning to generate predictive models for the downstream core promoter region (DPR) and the TATA box. We developed a method termed HARPE (high-throughput analysis of randomized promoter elements) to create hundreds of thousands of DPR (or TATA box) variants that are each of known transcriptional strength. We then analyzed the HARPE data by support vector regression (SVR) to provide comprehensive models for the sequence motifs, and found that the SVR-based approach is more effective than a consensus-based method for predicting transcriptional activity. These studies revealed that the DPR is a functionally important core promoter element that is widely used in human promoters. Importantly, there appears to be a duality between the DPR and TATA box, as many promoters contain one or the other element. More broadly, these findings show that functional DNA motifs can be identified by machine learning analysis of a comprehensive set of sequence variants.

Natural Selection at the NHLH2 Core Promoter Exceptionally Long CA-Repeat in Human and Disease-Only Genotypes in Late-Onset Neurocognitive Disorder

Background: Approximately 2% of the human core promoter short tandem repeats (STRs) reach lengths of ≥6 repeats, which may in part be a result of adaptive evolutionary processes and natural selection. A single-exon transcript of the human nescient helix loop helix 2 (NHLH2) gene is flanked by the longest CA-repeat detected in a human protein-coding gene core promoter (Ensembl transcript ID: ENST00000369506.1). NHLH2 is involved in several biological and pathological pathways, such as motivated exercise, obesity, and diabetes. Methods: The allele and genotype distribution of the NHLH2 CA-repeat were investigated by sequencing in 655 Iranian subjects, consisting of late-onset neurocognitive disorder (NCD) as a clinical entity (n = 290) and matched controls (n = 365). The evolutionary trend of the CA-repeat was also studied across vertebrates. Results: The allele range was between 9 and 25 repeats in the NCD cases, and 12 and 24 repeats in the controls. At the frequency of 0.56, the 21-repeat allele was the predominant allele in the controls. While the 21-repeat was also the predominant allele in the NCD patients, we detected significant decline of the frequency (p < 0.0001) and homozygosity (p < 0.006) of this allele in this group. Furthermore, 12 genotypes were detected across 16 patients (5.5% of the entire NCD sample) and not in the controls (disease-only genotypes; p < 0.0003), consisting of at least one extreme allele. The extreme alleles were at 9, 12, 13, 18, and 19 repeats (extreme short end), and 23, 24, and 25 repeats (extreme long end), and their frequencies ranged between 0.001 and 0.04. The frequency of the 21-repeat allele significantly dropped to 0.09 in the disease-only genotype compartment (p < 0.0001). Evolutionarily, while the maximum length of the NHLH2 CA-repeat was 11 repeats in non-primates, this CA-repeat was ≥14 repeats in primates and reached maximum length in human. Conclusion: We propose a novel locus for late-onset NCD at the NHLH2 core promoter exceptionally long CA-STR and natural selection at this locus. Furthermore, there was indication of genotypes at this locus that unambiguously linked to late-onset NCD. This is the first instance of natural selection in favor of a predominantly abundant STR allele in human and its differential distribution in late-onset NCD.

DNA binding preferences of S. cerevisiae RNA polymerase I Core Factor reveal a preference for the GC-minor groove and a conserved binding mechanism

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Core Factor (CF) is a key evolutionarily conserved transcription initiation factor that helps recruit RNA polymerase I (Pol I) to the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) promoter. Upregulated Pol I transcription has been linked to many cancers, and targeting Pol I is an attractive and emerging anti-cancer strategy. Using yeast as a model system, we characterized how CF binds to the Pol I promoter by electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA). Synthetic DNA competitors along with anti-tumor drugs and nucleic acid stains that act as DNA groove blockers were used to discover the binding preference of yeast CF. Our results show that CF employs a unique binding mechanism where it prefers the GC-rich minor groove within the rDNA promoter. In addition, we show that yeast CF is able to bind to the human rDNA promoter sequence that is divergent in DNA sequence and demonstrate CF sensitivity to the human specific Pol I inhibitor, CX-5461. Finally, we show that the human Core Promoter Element (CPE) can functionally replace the yeast Core Element (CE) in vivo when aligned by conserved DNA structural features rather than DNA sequence. Together, these findings suggest that the yeast CF and the human ortholog Selectivity Factor 1 (SL1) use an evolutionarily conserved, structure-based mechanism to target DNA. Their shared mechanism may offer a new avenue in using yeast to explore current and future Pol I anti-cancer compounds.

Enhanced transgene expression using cis-acting elements combined with the EF1 promoter in a mammalian expression system

Transgene expression in eukaryotic cells suffers from epigenetic effects that result in low or unstable transgene expression and high clonal variability. The use of epigenetic regulators is a promising approach to alleviating such unwanted effects. we investigated the effect of the strong human EF1-α promoter combined with six cis-acting elements on transgene expression in transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The six elements included the human cytomegalovirus immediate early core promoter element (hCPE), three synthetic enhancer element (SEE1, SEE2, Syn1), human cytomegalovirus immediate early enhancer (hCMV-IEE), and a regulatory element isolated from CHO-K1 genomic DNA (C77). The respective vectors were transfected into CHO cells, and stably transfected cell pools were screened and analyzed for transgene expression. The results showed that SEE1 increased transient expression most strongly. However, hCPE enhanced eGFP transgene expression most significantly in stably transfected CHO cells, by about 2.45-fold. Erythropoietin expression analysis showed that hCPE induced the highest EPO productivity, followed by hCMV-IEE. We found that the enhancing effect of hCPE and hCMV-IEE was related with transgene copy number. In conclusion, we found that hCPE and hCMV-IEE cis-acting elements combine with EF1-α can increase recombinant protein expression in CHO cells.

The 3′-end region of the human PDGFR-β core promoter nuclease hypersensitive element forms a mixture of two unique end-insertion G-quadruplexes

BackgroundWhile the most stable G-quadruplex formed in the human PDGFR-β promoter nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE) is the 5′-mid G-quadruplex, the 3′-end sequence that contains a 3′-GGA run forms a less stable G-quadruplex. Recently, the 3′-end G-quadruplex was found to be a transcriptional repressor and can be selectively targeted by a small molecule for PDGFR-β downregulation. MethodWe use 1D and 2D high-field NMR, in combination with Dimethylsulfate Footprinting, Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy, and Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay. ResultsWe determine that the PDGFR-β extended 3′-end NHE sequence forms two novel end-insertion intramolecular G-quadruplexes that co-exist in equilibrium under physiological salt conditions. One G-quadruplex has a 3′-non-adjacent flanking guanine inserted into the 3′-external tetrad (3′-insertion-G4), and another has a 5′-non-adjacent flanking guanine inserted into the 5′-external tetrad (5′-insertion-G4). The two guanines in the GGA-run move up or down within the G-quadruplex to accommodate the inserted guanine. Each end-insertion G-quadruplex has a low thermal stability as compared to the 5′-mid G-quadruplex, but the selective stabilization of GSA1129 shifts the equilibrium toward the 3′-end G-quadruplex in the PDGFR-β NHE. ConclusionAn equilibrium mixture of two unique end-insertion intramolecular G-quadruplexes forms in the PDGFR-β NHE 3′-end sequence that contains a GGA-run and non-adjacent guanines in both the 3′- and 5′- flanking segments; the novel end-insertion structures of the 3′-end G-quadruplex are selectively stabilized by GSA1129. General significanceWe show for the first time that an equilibrium mixture of two unusual end-insertion G-quadruplexes forms in a native promoter sequence and appears to be the molecular recognition for PDGFR-β downregulation.

Abstract 5230: Targeting two unique end-insertion G-quadruplexes formed in the 3′-end of the PDGFR-β core promoter nuclease hypersensitive element with ellipticine analog

Abstract Aberrant expression of PDGFR-β promotes multiple hallmarks of cancer, and its transcriptional regulation provides an attractive means to inhibit the PDGFR-β signaling pathway. The nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE) region of the human PDGFR-β core promoter has been shown to be responsible in regulating approximately 60% of the PDGFR-β basal promoter activity. Multiple overlapping G-quadruplexes (G4s) have been shown to form in this NHE region. We previously determined the most stable G4 structure formed in the 5’-mid of PDGFR-β NHE region. Significantly, an ellipticine analog, GSA1129, has been shown to selectively bind to the G4 formed in the 3’-end NHE region, thereby shifting the dynamic equilibrium toward the 3’-end G4. This selective interaction was shown to result in suppression of PDGFR-β activity in both cancer cell lines and a preclinical animal model. Thus, characterization of 3’-end G4 provides an important basis for understanding the molecular recognition of this G4 and for rational drug design. In this study, we used NMR spectroscopy to show that the PDGFR-β NHE 3′-end sequence forms two novel end-insertion intramolecular G4s which exist in a dynamic equilibrium under physiological salt condition. One is the 3′-insertion-G4 with a 3′ non-adjacent flanking guanine inserted into the 3′-external tetrad. The other is a 5′-insertion-G4 with a 5′ non-adjacent flanking guanine inserted into the 5′-external tetrad. We further confirmed that these novel end-insertion G4s can readily form in the 3’-end NHE sequence under physiologically relevant ionic conditions using dimethyl sulfate (DMS) footprinting experiments. To elucidate the molecular interactions of ellipticine analog with the 3’-end G4s, we studied the binding of GSA1129 to both of the end-insertion G4s. Significantly, our CD melting studies showed that GSA1129 markedly increased the stability of both end-insertion G4s by about 25°C. Furthermore, 1H NMR titration experiments have shown that GSA1129 selectively binds to the G4 formed in the 3’-end NHE region. The novel end-insertion structures and the dynamic nature of the PDGFR-β NHE 3′-end G4 may make it an effective target for GSA1129 binding and regulation. Our result highlights the dynamic nature of the PDGFR-β NHE 3′-end sequence and the importance of identifying the exact sequence for the formation of the naturally occurring G4 structure. Citation Format: Buket Onel, Prashansa Agrawal, Megan Carver, Laurence H. Hurley, Danzhou Yang. Targeting two unique end-insertion G-quadruplexes formed in the 3′-end of the PDGFR-β core promoter nuclease hypersensitive element with ellipticine analog [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5230. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5230

The human RIT2 core promoter short tandem repeat predominant allele is species-specific in length: a selective advantage for human evolution?

Evolutionary analyses of the critical core promoter interval support a selective advantage for expanding the length of certain short tandem repeats (STRs) in humans. We recently reported genome-wide data on human core promoter STRs that are "exceptionally long" (≥6-repeats). Near the top of the list, the neuron-specific gene, RIT2, contains one of the longest GA-STRs at 11-repeats. In the present study, we analyzed the evolutionary implications of this STR across species. We also studied this STR in a sample of 2,143 Iranian human subjects that encompassed a number of neuropsychiatric disorders and controls. We report that this GA repeat is functional and different lengths of the repeat result in significant alteration in gene expression activity. The 11-repeat allele was human specific and the sole allele detected in 110 unrelated Iranian individuals randomly selected and sequenced from our control pool. Remarkably, homozygosity for a 5-repeat allele was detected in a consanguineous, hospitalized case of schizophrenia, which significantly decreased gene expression activity (p < 5 × 10-6). The frequency of the 5-repeat allele in the Iranian population was calculated at <0.0001, putting this allele in the deleterious mutations category based on allele frequency. The 5-repeat allele is annotated in the Ensembl database in the heterozygous status (5/11) in one of four indigenous hunter-gatherer men sequenced from southern Africa (BUSHMAN KB1: rs113265205). The present findings indicate for the first time, selective advantage for a human-specific allele at an STR locus, and a phenomenon in which genotypes and alleles at the extreme length of STRs occur with disease only. This is a pilot study that warrants large-scale sequencing of the RIT2 core promoter STR in diseases and characteristics that are linked to the brain function.

Genome-wide identification of human- and primate-specific core promoter short tandem repeats

Recent reports of a link between human- and primate-specific genetic factors and human/primate-specific characteristics and diseases necessitate genome-wide identification of those factors. We have previously reported core promoter short tandem repeats (STRs) of extreme length (≥6-repeats) that have expanded exceptionally in primates vs. non-primates, and may have a function in adaptive evolution. In the study reported here, we extended our study to the human STRs of ≥3-repeats in the category of penta and hexaucleotide STRs, across the entire human protein coding gene core promoters, and analyzed their status in several superorders and orders of vertebrates, using the Ensembl database. The ConSite software was used to identify the transcription factor (TF) sets binding to those STRs. STR specificity was observed at different levels of human and non-human primate (NHP) evolution. 73% of the pentanucleotide STRs and 68% of the hexanucleotide STRs were found to be specific to human and NHPs. AP-2alpha, Sp1, and MZF were the predominantly selected TFs (90%) binding to the human-specific STRs. Furthermore, the number of TF sets binding to a given STR was found to be a selection factor for that STR. Our findings indicate that selected STRs, the cognate binding TFs, and the number of TF set binding to those STRs function as switch codes at different levels of human and NHP evolution and speciation.

An exceptionally long CA-repeat in the core promoter of SCGB2B2 links with the evolution of apes and Old World monkeys

We have recently reported a genome-scale catalog of human protein-coding genes that contain “exceptionally long” STRs (≥6-repeats) in their core promoter, which may be of selective advantage in this species. At the top of that list, SCGB2B2 (also known as SCGBL), contains one of the longest CA-repeat STRs identified in a human gene core promoter, at 25-repeats. In the study reported here, we analyzed the conservation status of this CA-STR across evolution. The functional implication of this STR to alter gene expression activity was also analyzed in the HEK-293 cell line. We report that the SCGB2B2 core promoter CA-repeat reaches exceptional lengths, ranging from 9- to 25-repeats, across Apes (Hominoids) and the Old World monkeys (CA>2-repeats were not detected in any other species). The longest CA-repeats and highest identity in the SCGB2B2 protein sequence were observed between human and bonobo. A trend for increased gene expression activity was observed from the shorter to the longer CA-repeats (p<0.009), and the CA-repeat increased gene expression activity, per se (p<0.02). We propose that the SCGB2B2 gene core promoter CA-repeat functions as an expression code for the evolution of Apes and the Old World monkeys.

Dominant and Protective Role of the CYTH4 Primate-Specific GTTT-Repeat Longer Alleles Against Neurodegeneration.

Primate-specific genes and regulatory mechanisms could provide insight into human brain functioning and disease. In a genome-scale analysis of the entire protein-coding genes listed in the GeneCards database, we have recently reported human genes that contain "exceptionally long" short tandem repeats (STRs) in their core promoter, which may be of adaptive/selective evolutionary advantage in this species. The longest tetra-nucleotide repeat identified in a human gene core promoter belongs to the CYTH4 gene. This GTTT-repeat is specific to Hominidae and Old World monkeys, and the shortest allele of this repeat, (GTTT)6, is linked with neural dysfunction and type I bipolar disorder in human. In the present study, we sought a possibly broader role for the CYTH4 gene core promoter GTTT-repeat in neural functioning and investigated its allelic distribution in a total of 949 human subjects, consisting of two neurodegenerative disorders, multiple sclerosis (MS) (n = 272) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) (n = 257), and controls (n = 420). The range of the alleles of this GTTT-repeat in the human sample studied was between 6- and 9-repeats. The shortest allele, (GTTT)6, was significantly in excess in the MS and AD patients in comparison with the controls (p < 0.004). The 6/6, 6/7, and 7/7 genotypes were in excess in the MS and AD patients, whereas the overall frequency of all other genotypes (consisting of at least one longer allele, i.e., 8- or 9-repeat) was higher in the controls (p < 0.005), indicating a dominant and protective effect for the longer alleles against neurodegeneration. This is the first indication of the involvement of a primate-specific STR in neurodegeneration in humans. We propose an adaptive evolutionary role for the expansion of the CYTH4 gene core promoter GTTT-repeat in the human brain, which is supported by a link between the shortest allele of this repeat with neuropsychiatric disorders.

Toward stable gene expression in CHO cells

Maintaining high gene expression level during long-term culture is critical when producing therapeutic recombinant proteins using mammalian cells. Transcriptional silencing of promoters, most likely due to epigenetic events such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, is one of the major mechanisms causing production instability. Previous studies demonstrated that the core CpG island element (IE) from the hamster adenine phosphoribosyltransferase gene is effective to prevent DNA methylation. We generated one set of modified human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) promoters by insertion of one or two copies of IE in either forward or reverse orientations into different locations of the hCMV promoter. The modified hCMV with one copy of IE inserted between the hCMV enhancer and core promoter in reverse orientation (MR1) was most effective at enhancing expression stability in CHO cells without comprising expression level when compared with the wild type hCMV. We also found that insertion of IE into a chimeric murine CMV (mCMV) enhancer and human elongation factor-1α core (hEF) promoter in reverse orientation did not enhance expression stability, indicating that the effect of IE on expression stability is possibly promoter specific.

Unravelling the hidden DNA structural/physical code provides novel insights on promoter location

Although protein recognition of DNA motifs in promoter regions has been traditionally considered as a critical regulatory element in transcription, the location of promoters, and in particular transcription start sites (TSSs), still remains a challenge. Here we perform a comprehensive analysis of putative core promoter sequences relative to non-annotated predicted TSSs along the human genome, which were defined by distinct DNA physical properties implemented in our ProStar computational algorithm. A representative sampling of predicted regions was subjected to extensive experimental validation and analyses. Interestingly, the vast majority proved to be transcriptionally active despite the lack of specific sequence motifs, indicating that physical signaling is indeed able to detect promoter activity beyond conventional TSS prediction methods. Furthermore, highly active regions displayed typical chromatin features associated to promoters of housekeeping genes. Our results enable to redefine the promoter signatures and analyze the diversity, evolutionary conservation and dynamic regulation of human core promoters at large-scale. Moreover, the present study strongly supports the hypothesis of an ancient regulatory mechanism encoded by the intrinsic physical properties of the DNA that may contribute to the complexity of transcription regulation in the human genome.

Sequence features of yeast and human core promoters that are predictive of maximal promoter activity

The core promoter is the region in which RNA polymerase II is recruited to the DNA and acts to initiate transcription, but the extent to which the core promoter sequence determines promoter activity levels is largely unknown. Here, we identified several base content and k-mer sequence features of the yeast core promoter sequence that are highly predictive of maximal promoter activity. These features are mainly located in the region 75 bp upstream and 50 bp downstream of the main transcription start site, and their associations hold for both constitutively active promoters and promoters that are induced or repressed in specific conditions. Our results unravel several architectural features of yeast core promoters and suggest that the yeast core promoter sequence downstream of the TATA box (or of similar sequences involved in recruitment of the pre-initiation complex) is a major determinant of maximal promoter activity. We further show that human core promoters also contain features that are indicative of maximal promoter activity; thus, our results emphasize the important role of the core promoter sequence in transcriptional regulation.

Simvastatin inhibits the core promoter of the TXNRD1 gene and lowers cellular TrxR activity in HepG2 cells

Thioredoxin reductase 1 (TrxR1) is a selenocysteine-containing redox-active enzyme that is thought to be important during carcinogenesis. We have recently shown that treatment with statins, HMGCoA reductase inhibitors, reduces the levels of TrxR1 in liver of both rat and human. The reduced TrxR1 levels were correlated with inhibited hepatocarcinogenesis in a rat model. The aim of the present study was to investigate if statins affect the activity of the human TXNRD1 core promoter, which guides expression of TrxR1, and if the effects by statins on TrxR1 expression in liver could be reproduced in a cellular model system. We found that simvastatin and fluvastatin decreased cellular TrxR activity in cultured human liver-derived HepG2 cells with approximately 40% (p<0.05). Simvastatin, but not fluvastatin or atorvastatin, also reduced the TXNRD1 promoter activity in HepG2 cells by 20% (p<0.01). In line with this result, TrxR1 mRNA levels decreased with about 25% in non-transfected HepG2 cells upon treatment with simvastatin (p<0.01). Concomitant treatment with mevalonate could not reverse these effects of simvastatin, indicating that other mechanisms than HMGCoA reductase inhibition was involved. Also, simvastatin did not inhibit sulforaphane-derived stimulation of the TXNRD1 core promoter activity, suggesting that the inhibition by simvastatin was specific for basal and not Nrf2-activated TrxR1 expression. In contrast to simvastatin, the two other statins tested, atorvastatin or fluvastatin, did not influence the TrxR1 mRNA levels. Thus, our results reveal a simvastatin-specific reduction of cellular TrxR1 levels that at least in part involves direct inhibitory effects on the basal activity of the core promoter guiding TrxR1 expression.

P-value-based regulatory motif discovery using positional weight matrices

To analyze gene regulatory networks, the sequence-dependent DNA/RNA binding affinities of proteins and noncoding RNAs are crucial. Often, these are deduced from sets of sequences enriched in factor binding sites. Two classes of computational approaches exist. The first describe binding motifs by sequence patterns and search the patterns with highest statistical significance for enrichment. The second class uses the more powerful position weight matrices (PWMs). Instead of maximizing the statistical significance of enrichment, they maximize a likelihood. Here we present XXmotif (eXhaustive evaluation of matriX motifs), the first PWM-based motif discovery method that can optimize PWMs by directly minimizing their P-values of enrichment. Optimization requires computing millions of enrichment P-values for thousands of PWMs. For a given PWM, the enrichment P-value is calculated efficiently from the match P-values of all possible motif placements in the input sequences using order statistics. The approach can naturally combine P-values for motif enrichment, conservation, and localization. On ChIP-chip/seq, miRNA knock-down, and coexpression data sets from yeast and metazoans, XXmotif outperformed state-of-the-art tools, both in numbers of correctly identified motifs and in the quality of PWMs. In segmentation modules of D. melanogaster, we detect the known key regulators and several new motifs. In human core promoters, XXmotif reports most previously described and eight novel motifs sharply peaked around the transcription start site, among them an Initiator motif similar to the fly and yeast versions. XXmotif's sensitivity, reliability, and usability will help to leverage the quickly accumulating wealth of functional genomics data.

Evolutionary trend of exceptionally long human core promoter short tandem repeats

Short tandem repeats (STRs) are variable elements that play a significant role in genome evolution by creating and maintaining quantitative genetic variation. Because of their proximity to the +1 transcription start site (TSS) and polymorphic nature, core promoter STRs may be considered a novel source of variation across species. In a genome-scale analysis of the entire human protein-coding genes annotated in the GeneCards database (19,927), we analyze the prevalence and repeat numbers of different classes of core promoter STRs in the interval between −120 and +1 to the TSS. We also analyze the evolutionary trend of exceptionally long core promoter STRs of ≥6-repeats. 133 genes (~2%) had core promoter STRs of ≥6-repeats. In the majority of those genes, the STR motifs were found to be conserved across evolution. Di-nucleotide repeats had the highest representation in the human core promoter long STRs (72 genes). Tri- (52 genes), tetra-, penta-, and hexa-nucleotide STRs (9 genes) were also present in the descending prevalence. The majority of those genes (84 genes) revealed directional expansion of core promoter STRs from mouse to human. However, in a number of genes, the difference in average allele size across species was sufficiently small that there might be a constraint on the evolution of average allele size. Random drift of STRs from mouse to human was also observed in a minority of genes. Future work on the genes listed in the current study may further our knowledge into the potential importance of core promoter STRs in human evolution.

Transcription directed by human core promoters with a HomolD box sequence requires DDB1, RECQL and RNA polymerase II machinery

TATA box is the most studied core promoter element and has a well-described transcription mechanism. However, most metazoan promoters lack TATA box and contain other core promoter elements. One of such elements is HomolD box, which was first described in promoters of ribosomal protein genes in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and studies performed in this model showed that transcription directed by HomolD box is dependent on RNAPII machinery, and the HomolD-binding protein was Rrn7, a component of RNAPI core factor. Nevertheless, the mechanisms that underlie HomolD-dependent transcription are still unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the mechanism of transcription directed by human HomolD box. By stepwise purification through different ion exchange columns and affinity chromatography, we purified two proteins: DDB1 and RECQL (DNA damage-binding protein 1 and ATP-dependent DNA helicase Q1 respectively). These proteins showed specific HomolD-binding activity and were required for in vitro HomolD-directed transcription. Recombinant RECQL, but not DDB1, presented HomolD-binding activity in vitro. Both proteins bound to HomolD box in vivo, which could be explained because these proteins co-immunoprecipitated. Additionally, RNAPII machinery was also required to transcription. Collectively, these data suggest that HomolD-containing promoters require the RNAPII machinery and the proteins DDB1 and RECQL for an accurate transcription.