GATAAG; a cis-control region binding an erythroid-specific nuclear factor with a role in globin and non-globin gene expression

Abstract

An erythroid-specific nuclear protein factor binds to a sequence motif (GATAAG) which is present in the promoter region of the mouse alpha and beta major globin genes, and in the erythroid-specific promoter of the human porphobilinogen deaminase (PBG-D) gene. The protein activity is conserved across species, being found in mouse erythroleukaemia (MEL) cells, chicken erythrocytes, the human erythroid K562 and KMOE cell lines, but not in a variety of non-erythroid mouse tissues or in HeLa cells. Functional analysis of this element in the alpha globin gene promoter by stable transfection experiments show that the GATAAG motif resides in a 68 bp sequence which has a stimulatory effect on transcription in mouse erythroleukaemia but not fibroblast cells. The GATAAG motif is conserved in the promoters and 3' enhancers of a variety of globin and non-globin genes implying that it is a cis-element involved in the tissue-specific up-regulation of several genes that are co-expressed during erythroid cell differentiation.