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A 3′ transcriptional enhancer regulates tissue‐specific expression of the human CD2 gene.
Author(s) -
Lake R. A.,
Wotton D.,
Owen M. J.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1990.tb07510.x
Subject(s) - biology , enhancer , gene expression , regulation of gene expression , gene , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , enhancer rnas , computational biology
A strong lymphocyte‐specific transcriptional enhancer was identified within a DNase I hypersensitive site at the 3′ end of the human CD2 gene. Full activity, in a transient expression assay, was contained within a region of 550 bp (minimal enhancer). T cells which express CD2 could use the enhancer to activate transcription from the reporter gene chloramphenicol acetyltransferase in the context of a heterologous promoter. Lower levels of transcription were detected in non‐CD2‐expressing T cells and in B cells. In contrast, the enhancer did not function in the epithelial cell line HeLa or in Colo 320 HSR, a cell line of neuroendocrine origin. Low levels of enhancement were detectable from two core regions, which acted synergistically with other cis‐acting sequences to generate the complete enhancer. DNase I footprinting studies identified six cis‐acting sequences to which proteins bound. Five of these sequence motifs were novel; the sixth was a canonical cAMP response element. Topoisomerase II, and scaffold attachment region consensus sequences were also found within an A/T‐rich area downstream of the minimal enhancer. Neither region was bound to the nuclear matrix. The CD2 enhancer is modular in structure, it is constructed of novel cis‐acting sequences and it is a major component of the regulatory system that controls expression of the CD2 gene.