Thymidylate Synthase Minigenes Research Articles

Inhibition of the mammalian transcription factor LSF induces S-phase-dependent apoptosis by downregulating thymidylate synthase expression

The thymidylate synthase (TS) gene, which is induced at the G(1)-S transition in growth-stimulated cells, encodes an enzyme that is essential for DNA replication and cell survival. Here we demonstrate that LSF (LBP-1c, CP2) binds to sites within the TS promoter and intronic regions that are required for this induction. Mutation of the LSF binding sites inhibits G(1)-S induction of mRNA derived from a TS minigene. Furthermore, expression of dominant-negative LSF (LSFdn) prevents the increase in TS enzyme levels during G(1)-S, and induces apoptosis in growth- stimulated mouse and human cell lines. Such apoptosis can be prevented either by circumventing the TS requirement through addition of low concentrations of thymidine, or by coexpression of the TS gene driven by a heterologous promoter. Induction of apoptosis by LSFdn parallels the process known as thymineless death, which is induced by the TS inhibitor and chemotherapeutic drug 5-fluorodeoxyuridine. Thus, LSF is a novel regulatory factor that supports progression through S-phase by targeting a single gene that is critical for cell survival.

Pre-mRNA processing enhancer (PPE) element increases the expression of an intronless thymidylate synthase gene but does not affect intron-dependent S phase regulation

The pre-mRNA processing enhancer (PPE) element is an RNA sequence element derived from the intronless HSV-TK gene. Insertion of the element into the highly intron-dependent human beta-globin gene leads to efficient expression in the absence of splicing. We have analyzed the effect of the PPE element on the expression of mouse thymidylate synthase (TS) minigenes. We have previously shown that the expression of intronless TS minigenes is moderately (up to 20-fold) stimulated by the inclusion of introns. Furthermore, S phase-specific expression of TS minigenes in growth-stimulated cells depends on the presence of a spliceable intron as well as the TS promoter. The goal of our study was to determine if the PPE element would overcome the dependence on introns for efficient expression and for S phase-specific expression of transfected TS minigenes. We found that insertion of the PPE element into an intronless TS minigene partially overcame intron dependence. However, the increase in expression was much less than that observed for the intronless beta-globin gene. We also found that intronless TS or HSV-TK genes that contained the PPE element and that were driven by the TS promoter were expressed at a constant level in serum-stimulated cells. However, when an intron was included in these genes, they were expressed in an S phase-specific manner. Thus the PPE element was not able to overcome the dependence on introns for S phase-specific expression of TS minigenes.

Pre‐mRNA processing enhancer (PPE) element increases the expression of an intronless thymidylate synthase gene but does not affect intron‐dependent S phase regulation

The pre-mRNA processing enhancer (PPE) element is an RNA sequence element derived from the intronless HSV-TK gene. Insertion of the element into the highly intron-dependent human β-globin gene leads to efficient expression in the absence of splicing. We have analyzed the effect of the PPE element on the expression of mouse thymidylate synthase (TS) minigenes. We have previously shown that the expression of intronless TS minigenes is moderately (up to 20-fold) stimulated by the inclusion of introns. Furthermore, S phase-specific expression of TS minigenes in growth-stimulated cells depends on the presence of a spliceable intron as well as the TS promoter. The goal of our study was to determine if the PPE element would overcome the dependence on introns for efficient expression and for S phase-specific expression of transfected TS minigenes. We found that insertion of the PPE element into an intronless TS minigene partially overcame intron dependence. However, the increase in expression was much less than that observed for the intronless β-globin gene. We also found that intronless TS or HSV-TK genes that contained the PPE element and that were driven by the TS promoter were expressed at a constant level in serum-stimulated cells. However, when an intron was included in these genes, they were expressed in an S phase-specific manner. Thus the PPE element was not able to overcome the dependence on introns for S phase-specific expression of TS minigenes. J. Cell. Biochem. 69:104–116, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Splicing signals are required for S-phase regulation of the mouse thymidylate synthase gene.

The thymidylate synthase (TS) gene is expressed at a much higher level in cells undergoing DNA replication than in nondividing cells. In growth-stimulated mammalian cells, TS mRNA content increases 10 to 20-fold as cells progress from G1 through S phase. However, the rate of transcription of the TS gene does not increase during this interval, indicating that the gene is regulated at the posttranscriptional level. We have shown that both the promoter of the mouse TS gene and TS introns are necessary (although neither is sufficient) for S-phase-specific regulation of TS mRNA content. In the present study, we examined in more detail the role of introns in regulating TS mRNA levels in growth-stimulated cells. TS minigenes that contain normal or modified introns were stably transfected into mouse 3T6 fibroblasts, and the regulation of the minigenes was compared with that of the endogenous TS gene. TS minigenes that contain TS intron 1 or 2 maintain S-phase regulation. Deletion of most of the interior of the introns had only minor effects on regulation. However, when splicing of the intron was inhibited by alteration of the splice donor and acceptor sites, the minigene was expressed at a constant level following growth stimulation. Minigenes consisting of the TS promoter linked to either a luciferase or a human beta-globin indicator gene were growth regulated when spliceable introns were included in the minigenes. However, when the introns were eliminated, the minigenes were expressed at a constant level. These observations indicate that the splicing reaction itself, rather than a control sequence within the intron, is important for growth-regulated expression of the TS gene. Possible mechanisms to account for the dual requirement for the TS promoter and intron splicing for proper regulation of the TS gene are discussed.

Regulation of mouse thymidylate synthase gene expression in growth-stimulated cells: upstream S phase control elements are indistinguishable from the essential promoter elements.

Expression of the mammalian thymidylate synthase (TS) gene in growth-stimulated cells is closely coordinated with entry into S phase. Previous studies with transfected TS minigenes have shown that sequences upstream of the coding region as well as an intron in the transcribed region are both necessary for proper regulation of TS mRNA content in growth-stimulated cells. The goal of the present study was to identify the upstream regulatory elements. Minigenes consisting of TS 5' flanking sequences linked to the TS coding region (interrupted by introns 1 and 2) were stably transfected into mouse 3T6 cells. Deletion and site-directed mutagenesis of the 5' flanking region revealed that there is a close correspondence between the upstream sequences that are necessary for S phase regulation and the 30 nucleotide region that is essential for promoter activity. These observations raised the possibility that regulation of the TS gene occurs at the transcriptional level. However, nuclear run-on assays showed that the rate of transcription of the TS gene changed very little during the G1-S phase transition. Furthermore, when the TS promoter was linked to an intron-less luciferase indicator gene, there was no change in expression following growth-stimulation. Therefore it appears that the TS gene is controlled primarily at the posttranscriptional level, and that the TS essential promoter region is necessary (although not sufficient) for proper S phase regulation.

Posttranscriptional regulation of thymidylate synthase gene expression

Thymidylate synthase (TS) is an essential enzyme that catalyzes the formation of thymidylic acid in the de novo biosynthetic pathway and is the target enzyme for a variety of chemotherapeutic agents. The TS gene is expressed at a much higher level in proliferating cells than in quiescent cells. Control is primarily exerted at the posttranscriptional level. Studies with chimeric TS minigenes have shown that regulation of TS mRNA content in growth-stimulated mouse fibroblasts requires the presence of sequences located upstream of the essential promoter elements. In addition, an efficiently spliced intron must be present within the transcript. Neither sequence by itself is sufficient for proper regulation, suggesting that the upstream and downstream sequences may communicate to effect regulation. A possible mechanism by which the upstream sequences influence the efficiency of splicing of TS transcripts in a cell cycle specific manner is described. Expression of the human TS gene is also controlled at the translational level. The TS enzyme is able to block the translation of its own mRNA by binding to the message in the vicinity of the AUG start codon. The translational block is relieved in the presence of substrates or inhibitors of the enzyme. The autogenous translational regulation of TS mRNA is likely to be responsible for the rapid increase in TS enzyme level that occurs when cells are exposed to certain TS inhibitors. Elucidation of the mechanism by which the translational control is exerted may lead to the design of more effective TS inhibitors.

Bidirectional promoter of the mouse thymidylate synthase gene.

The promoter of the mouse thymidylate synthase (TS) gene lacks both a TATAA box and an initiator element and directs transcriptional initiation at multiple sites over a 90 nucleotide initiation window. Earlier studies defined an essential region near the 5' end of the initiation window that is required for promoter activity. The essential region contains possible binding sites for Sp1 and Ets transcription factors. In the present study we show that this essential region stimulates transcription with approximately equal strength in both directions. Transcription is initiated over a broad initiation window in the reverse direction. The same elements are important for the reverse promoter and for the normal TS promoter. Sequences upstream of the essential region partially suppress expression in the reverse direction. The TS 5' flanking region, in either the normal or inverted orientation, directs S phase-specific expression of a TS minigene. This raises the possibility that an upstream gene and the TS gene may be coordinately induced at the G1/S phase boundary by a common set of control elements.

Stimulation of gene expression by introns: conversion of an inhibitory intron to a stimulatory intron by alteration of the splice donor sequence.

Efficient expression of many mammalian genes depends on the presence of at least one intron. We previously showed that addition of almost any of the introns from the mouse thymidylate synthase (TS) gene to an intronless TS minigene led to a large increase in expression. However, addition of intron 4 led to a reduction in minigene expression. The goal of the present study was to determine why TS intron 4 was unable to stimulate expression. Insertion of intron 4 into an intron-dependent derivative of the ribosomal protein L32 gene did not lead to a significant increase in expression, suggesting that its inability to stimulate expression was due to sequences within the intron. Deleting most of the interior of intron 4, improving the putative branch point, removing purines from the pyrimidine stretch at the 3' end of the intron, or removing possible alternative splice acceptor or donor sites within the intron each had little effect on the level of expression. However, when the splice donor sequence of intron 4 was modified so that it was perfectly complementary to U1 snRNA, the modified intron 4 stimulated expression approximately 6-fold. When the splice donor site of TS intron 1 (a stimulatory intron) was changed to that of TS intron 4, the modified intron 1 was spliced very inefficiently and lost the ability to stimulate mRNA production. Our observations support the idea that introns can stimulate gene expression by a process that depends directly on the splicing reaction.

The 5′-Flanking Region of the Mouse Thymidylate Synthase Gene Is Necessary But Not Sufficient for Normal Regulation in Growth-Stimulated Cells

The thymidylate synthase (TS) gene is a housekeeping gene that is expressed at much higher levels in proliferating cells than in quiescent cells. We have studied the role of the TS 5'-flanking sequences in regulating the level of expression of the mouse TS gene. A variety of chimeric TS minigenes that contain different promoters linked either to the TS coding region (with or without introns) or to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) coding region were constructed. The activities of the minigenes were determined by transfecting them into cultured cells and measuring the levels of mRNA or enzyme derived from the chimeric genes. We found that the mouse TS promoter had about the same strength as the simian virus 40 early promoter but was significantly stronger than the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter. Stable transfection studies revealed that minigenes consisting of the normal TS promoter (extending to -1 kb), coding region, and polyadenylation signal were regulated normally in response to growth stimulation. When the TS promoter was replaced by the simian virus 40 early promoter or by a TS promoter that retained only 60 nucleotides upstream of the first transcriptional start site, the minigene was expressed constitutively. A minigene consisting of the TS promoter (extending to -1 kb) linked to the CAT coding region was also expressed constitutively. These observations indicate that sequences upstream of the transcriptional start sites of the TS gene are necessary, although not sufficient, for normal growth-regulated expression of the mouse TS gene.

The 5'-flanking region of the mouse thymidylate synthase gene is necessary but not sufficient for normal regulation in growth-stimulated cells.

The thymidylate synthase (TS) gene is a housekeeping gene that is expressed at much higher levels in proliferating cells than in quiescent cells. We have studied the role of the TS 5'-flanking sequences in regulating the level of expression of the mouse TS gene. A variety of chimeric TS minigenes that contain different promoters linked either to the TS coding region (with or without introns) or to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) coding region were constructed. The activities of the minigenes were determined by transfecting them into cultured cells and measuring the levels of mRNA or enzyme derived from the chimeric genes. We found that the mouse TS promoter had about the same strength as the simian virus 40 early promoter but was significantly stronger than the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter. Stable transfection studies revealed that minigenes consisting of the normal TS promoter (extending to -1 kb), coding region, and polyadenylation signal were regulated normally in response to growth stimulation. When the TS promoter was replaced by the simian virus 40 early promoter or by a TS promoter that retained only 60 nucleotides upstream of the first transcriptional start site, the minigene was expressed constitutively. A minigene consisting of the TS promoter (extending to -1 kb) linked to the CAT coding region was also expressed constitutively. These observations indicate that sequences upstream of the transcriptional start sites of the TS gene are necessary, although not sufficient, for normal growth-regulated expression of the mouse TS gene.

Thymidylate synthase gene expression is stimulated by some (but not all) introns.

We previously described the construction of an intronless mouse thymidylate synthase (TS) minigene that has the normal 5' and 3' flanking regions of the gene linked to full length TS cDNA. Transfection of the minigene into ts- hamster V79 cells led to low level expression of normal mouse TS mRNA and protein. In the present study we analyzed the effect of introns on the expression of the TS minigene in transient transfection assays. Inclusion of introns 5 and 6 at their normal locations in the coding region led to an 8-9-fold stimulation of the level of TS and TS mRNA. Almost all of introns 5 and 6 could be deleted without diminishing the stimulatory effect. Inclusion of intron 3 also stimulated the expression of the minigene, although to a lesser extent than introns 5 and 6. However, inclusion of intron 4 had no stimulatory effect. Analysis of minigenes that contained various combinations of introns revealed that the stimulatory effects of the introns were not additive.