Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of globin gene accumulation in murine erythroleukemia cells

Abstract

The mechanism responsible for the accumulation of newly synthesized alpha- and beta-globin mRNA in the cytoplasm of induced murine erythroleukemia cells was examined by nuclear mRNA nascent chain elongation (run-off transcription). Hexamethylenebisacetimide, a potent inducer of murine erythroleukemia cell differention, induced high levels of both alpha- and beta-globin gene transcription within 48 to 72 h in culture. Butyric acid, a modest inducer of murine erythroleukemia cells, induced a somewhat lower level of globin gene transcription. With both inducers, alpha-globin transcriptional rates exceeded those of beta-globin. Hemin, on the other hand, showed no detectable increase over the basal rate observed in uninduced cells, even at a time (48 h) when newly synthesized globin mRNA was accumulating in the cytoplasm. These results suggest that there are at least two mechanisms responsible for regulating alpha- and beta-globin structural gene expression in induced murine erythroleukemia cells and that the mechanisms involved are inducer dependent. Hexamethylenebisacetimide and butyric acid increase the rate at which globin genes are transcribed, but hemin appears to allow constitutive levels of transcripts to accumulate.