Functional analysis of multiple transcription factor sites in a regulatory element of human ε-globin gene

Abstract

The developmental control of the human ε-globin gene expression is mediated by transcriptional regulatory elements in the 5′ flanking DNA of this gene. A previously identified negative regulatory element (-3028 to -2902 bp, termed ε-NRAII) was analyzed and one putative NF-κB site and two GATA sites locate at -3004 bp, -2975 bp and -2948 bp were characterized. Electrophoresis mobility shift assay (EMSA) showed that the putative NF-κB site was specifically bound by nuclear proteins of K562 cells. Data obtained from transient transfection showed that the expression of reporter gene could be upregulated about 50% or 100% respectively when ε-NRAII was inserted upstream of the SV40 promoter or ε-globin gene proximal promoter (-177 bp to +1 bp), suggesting that ε-NRAII might not be a classic silencer. Mutation in the putative NF-κ site or in the GATA site (at -2975 bp) slightly reduced the expression of reporter gene driven by SV40 promoter or ε-globin gene proximal promoter. However, the mutation of GATA site at -2948 bp remarkably reduced the reporter gene activity driven by SV40 promoter, but not by ε-globin gene proximal promoter. Further mutation analysis showed that the negative effect of mutation in GATA site at -2948 bp on SV40 promoter was not affected by the mutation of the putative NF-κB site, whereas it could be abolished by the mutation of GATA site at -2975 bp. Furthermore, the mutation of both GATA sites could synergistically reduce the reporter gene activity driven by ε-globin gene proximal promoter. Those results suggested that ε-NRAII might function differently on the SV40 promoter and ε-globin gene proximal promoter.