This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Garzon, R J Articles by Zehner, Z E Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Garzon, R J Articles by Zehner, Z E

Multiple silencer elements are involved in regulating the chicken vimentin gene.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298.

ABSTRACT

Vimentin, a member of the intermediate filament protein family, exhibits tissue- as well as development-specific expression. Transcription factors that are involved in expression of the chicken vimentin gene have been described and include a cis-acting silencer element (SE3) that is involved in the down-regulation of this gene (F. X. Farrell, C. M. Sax, and Z. E. Zehner, Mol. Cell. Biol. 10:2349-2358, 1990). In this study, we report the identification of two additional silencer elements (SE1 and SE2). We show by transfection analysis that all three silencer elements are functionally active and that optimal silencing occurs when multiple (at least two) silencer elements are present. In addition, the previously identified SE3 can be divided into three subregions, each of which is moderately active alone. By gel mobility shift assays, all three silencer elements plus SE3 subregions bind a protein which by Southwestern (DNA-protein) blot analysis is identical in molecular mass (approximately 95 kDa). DNase I footprinting experiments indicate that this protein binds to purine-rich sites. Therefore, multiple elements appear to be involved in the negative regulation of the chicken vimentin gene, which may be important in the regulation of other genes as well.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Zhang, X., Diab, I. H., Zehner, Z. E. (2003). ZBP-89 represses vimentin gene transcription by interacting with the transcriptional activator, Sp1. Nucleic Acids Res 31: 2900-2914 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wieczorek, E., Lin, Z., Perkins, E. B., Law, D. J., Merchant, J. L., Zehner, Z. E. (2000). The Zinc Finger Repressor, ZBP-89, Binds to the Silencer Element of the Human Vimentin Gene and Complexes with the Transcriptional Activator, Sp1. J. Biol. Chem. 275: 12879-12888 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Gupta, M., Zak, R., Libermann, T. A., Gupta, M. P. (1998). Tissue-Restricted Expression of the Cardiac alpha -Myosin Heavy Chain Gene Is Controlled by a Downstream Repressor Element Containing a Palindrome of Two Ets-Binding Sites. Mol. Cell. Biol. 18: 7243-7258 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Dhar, M., Mascareno, E. M., Siddiqui, M. A. Q. (1997). Two Distinct Factor-binding DNA Elements in Cardiac Myosin Light Chain 2 Gene Are Essential for Repression of Its Expression in Skeletal Muscle. ISOLATION OF A cDNA CLONE FOR REPRESSOR PROTEIN NISHED. J. Biol. Chem. 272: 18490-18497 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Liu, B., Maul, R. S., Kaetzel, D. M. Jr. (1996). Repression of Platelet-derived Growth Factor A-chain Gene Transcription by an Upstream Silencer Element. PARTICIPATION BY SEQUENCE-SPECIFIC SINGLE-STRANDED DNA-BINDING PROTEINS. J. Biol. Chem. 271: 26281-26290 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Perkins, E. B., Cunningham, J. G., Bracete, A. M., Zehner, Z. E. (1995). Two Homologous Enhancer Elements in the Chicken Vimentin Gene May Bind a Nuclear Factor in Common with a Nearby Silencer Element. J. Biol. Chem. 270: 25785-25791 [Abstract] [Full Text]