Activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase alters the chromatin structure of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator gene promoter

• Published in: Nucleic acids research 1994-02, Vol.22 (4), p.569-575
• Main Authors: Lee, Janet S., Catanzariti, Luigi, Hemmings, Brian A., Kiefer, Birgitta, Nagamine, Yoshikuni
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Cells, Cultured; Chromatin; Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases - genetics; Deoxyribonuclease I; DNA Topoisomerases, Type I; Enzyme Activation - genetics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes - genetics; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Swine; Transcription. Transcription factor. Splicing. Rna processing; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator - genetics
• ISSN: 0305-1048; 1362-4962
• DOI: 10.1093/nar/22.4.569

In LLC-PK, cells, the uroklnase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) gene Is induced by two of the major signal transductlon pathways, the protein kinase C (PKC) and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) pathways. We have analyzed the chromatin structure of 26 kb of the uPA gene locus and have shown that PKA activation but not PKC activation Induces major chromatin structural alterations in the uPA gene promoter. In uninduced cells, several DNase I hypersensitive (HS) sites were detected In the 5' and 3' flanking regions but not In the transcribed region. Two of the sites correspond to previously characterized regulatory sites: a cAMP responsive site at nucleotide position -3500 with respect to the Initiation site, and the PEA3/AP1 site at -2100 that mediates PKC activation. After the activation of PKA but not PKC, a strong HS site was induced at -2600. Functional analysis of this region revealed cAMP responsive activity. Chromatin structural alterations again brought about specifically by PKA but not by PKC were were also detected In the upstream of the promoter by topoisomerase I cleavage site analysis, with two prominent sites appearing at - 2800 and - 3300. These results suggest that the strong cAMP induction of the uPA gene requires structural alterations that permit cooperative interactions between the multiple cAMP responsive sites.