Transcription and replication silencer element is present within conserved region of human Alu repeats interacting with nuclear protein

FEBS Letters

Iguchi-Ariga, Sanae M.M.²  Ariga, Hiroyoshi²  Tomilin, Nikolai V.¹ 

[1] Institute of Cytology, The Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 194064 Leningrad, USSR;Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060, Japan

关键词: Alu sequence element;    Chloramphenicolacetyltransferase assay;    Silencer;   

DOI  :  10.1016/0014-5793(90)80707-P

学科分类：生物化学/生物物理

来源: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

【 摘 要 】

Human cells contain a nuclear protein interacting with Alu repeats, and this protein seems to recognize a conserved sequence motif, GGAGGC, present within the RNA polymerase III promoter and within the SV40 T-antigen-dependent ARS-like element. To study the potential functional role of this element, we have inserted the sequence into a chloramphenicolacetyltransferase (CAT) expression vector with a SV40 promoter and enhancer element from the up-stream region of the human c-myc gene, and transfected HeLa cells with the resulting plasmid. Analysis of expression by the CAT assay indicates that the Alu-derived sequence supresses transcription of the CAT gene driven by the c-myc enhancer/SV40 promoter. The Alu-derived sequence also inhibits ARS activity of the c-myc enhancer. The data allow the explaination of the transcriptional inactivity of Alu repeats in HeLa cells, and suggest the existence of a negative control of Alu transcription.

【 授权许可】

Unknown