Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1988 Jul;85(14):5146–5150. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.14.5146

Human p53 oncogene contains one promoter upstream of exon 1 and a second, stronger promoter within intron 1.

D Reisman 1, M Greenberg 1, V Rotter 1
PMCID: PMC281705  PMID: 2839831

Abstract

To gain insight into how transcription of the human p53 oncogene is controlled, we characterized the regulatory regions of the gene. A 3.8-kilobase-pair (kbp) EcoRI restriction fragment encompassing the 5' end of the human p53 gene, as well as subfragments generated by restriction digests, was cloned upstream of the Escherichia coli chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene and CAT activity was assayed in extracts of transfected cells. Two types of CAT vectors were used: Epstein-Barr virus oriP-derived constructs that were stably introduced into the human cell lines K562, Raji, and HL-60, and pSV0-CAT-derived constructs that were transiently introduced into the monkey cell line COS. By this approach we have identified two promoters for the human p53 gene. One promoter, p53P1, is located 100-250 bp upstream of the 218-bp noncoding first exon; a second, stronger promoter, p53P2, maps within the first intron. CAT activity and expression of CAT RNA indicate that p53P2 functions up to 50-fold more efficiently than p53P1. We conclude that the expression of the human p53 gene may be controlled by two promoters and that differential regulation of these promoters may play an important role in the altered expression of the gene in both normal and transformed cells.

Full text

PDF
5146

Images in this article

5147Image
on p.5147
5147Image
on p.5147
5147Image
on p.5147
5147Image
on p.5147
5148Image
on p.5148
5150Image
on p.5150
5150Image
on p.5150

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Auffray C., Rougeon F. Purification of mouse immunoglobulin heavy-chain messenger RNAs from total myeloma tumor RNA. Eur J Biochem. 1980 Jun;107(2):303–314. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1980.tb06030.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Battey J., Moulding C., Taub R., Murphy W., Stewart T., Potter H., Lenoir G., Leder P. The human c-myc oncogene: structural consequences of translocation into the IgH locus in Burkitt lymphoma. Cell. 1983 Oct;34(3):779–787. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90534-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bendori R., Resnitzky D., Kimchi A. Changes in p53 mRNA expression during terminal differentiation of murine erythroleukemia cells. Virology. 1987 Dec;161(2):607–611. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(87)90159-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Bentley D. L., Groudine M. Novel promoter upstream of the human c-myc gene and regulation of c-myc expression in B-cell lymphomas. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 Oct;6(10):3481–3489. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.10.3481. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bienz-Tadmor B., Zakut-Houri R., Libresco S., Givol D., Oren M. The 5' region of the p53 gene: evolutionary conservation and evidence for a negative regulatory element. EMBO J. 1985 Dec 1;4(12):3209–3213. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb04067.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Carlson M., Botstein D. Two differentially regulated mRNAs with different 5' ends encode secreted with intracellular forms of yeast invertase. Cell. 1982 Jan;28(1):145–154. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(82)90384-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Collins S. J., Gallo R. C., Gallagher R. E. Continuous growth and differentiation of human myeloid leukaemic cells in suspension culture. Nature. 1977 Nov 24;270(5635):347–349. doi: 10.1038/270347a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dippold W. G., Jay G., DeLeo A. B., Khoury G., Old L. J. p53 transformation-related protein: detection by monoclonal antibody in mouse and human cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Mar;78(3):1695–1699. doi: 10.1073/pnas.78.3.1695. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Eliyahu D., Michalovitz D., Oren M. Overproduction of p53 antigen makes established cells highly tumorigenic. Nature. 1985 Jul 11;316(6024):158–160. doi: 10.1038/316158a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Eliyahu D., Raz A., Gruss P., Givol D., Oren M. Participation of p53 cellular tumour antigen in transformation of normal embryonic cells. Nature. 1984 Dec 13;312(5995):646–649. doi: 10.1038/312646a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gluzman Y. SV40-transformed simian cells support the replication of early SV40 mutants. Cell. 1981 Jan;23(1):175–182. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(81)90282-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gorman C. M., Moffat L. F., Howard B. H. Recombinant genomes which express chloramphenicol acetyltransferase in mammalian cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1982 Sep;2(9):1044–1051. doi: 10.1128/mcb.2.9.1044. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Graham F. L., van der Eb A. J. A new technique for the assay of infectivity of human adenovirus 5 DNA. Virology. 1973 Apr;52(2):456–467. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(73)90341-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jenkins J. R., Rudge K., Currie G. A. Cellular immortalization by a cDNA clone encoding the transformation-associated phosphoprotein p53. Nature. 1984 Dec 13;312(5995):651–654. doi: 10.1038/312651a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lamb P., Crawford L. Characterization of the human p53 gene. Mol Cell Biol. 1986 May;6(5):1379–1385. doi: 10.1128/mcb.6.5.1379. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Linzer D. I., Levine A. J. Characterization of a 54K dalton cellular SV40 tumor antigen present in SV40-transformed cells and uninfected embryonal carcinoma cells. Cell. 1979 May;17(1):43–52. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(79)90293-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Lozzio B. B., Lozzio C. B. Properties and usefulness of the original K-562 human myelogenous leukemia cell line. Leuk Res. 1979;3(6):363–370. doi: 10.1016/0145-2126(79)90033-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Mercer W. E., Nelson D., DeLeo A. B., Old L. J., Baserga R. Microinjection of monoclonal antibody to protein p53 inhibits serum-induced DNA synthesis in 3T3 cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Oct;79(20):6309–6312. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.20.6309. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Milner J., Milner S. SV40-53K antigen: a possible role for 53K in normal cells. Virology. 1981 Jul 30;112(2):785–788. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(81)90327-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Oren M., Maltzman W., Levine A. J. Post-translational regulation of the 54K cellular tumor antigen in normal and transformed cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1981 Feb;1(2):101–110. doi: 10.1128/mcb.1.2.101. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. PULVERTAFT J. V. A STUDY OF MALIGNANT TUMOURS IN NIGERIA BY SHORT-TERM TISSUE CULTURE. J Clin Pathol. 1965 May;18:261–273. doi: 10.1136/jcp.18.3.261. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Parada L. F., Land H., Weinberg R. A., Wolf D., Rotter V. Cooperation between gene encoding p53 tumour antigen and ras in cellular transformation. Nature. 1984 Dec 13;312(5995):649–651. doi: 10.1038/312649a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Pelletier J., Sonenberg N. Insertion mutagenesis to increase secondary structure within the 5' noncoding region of a eukaryotic mRNA reduces translational efficiency. Cell. 1985 Mar;40(3):515–526. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(85)90200-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Prokocimer M., Shaklai M., Bassat H. B., Wolf D., Goldfinger N., Rotter V. Expression of p53 in human leukemia and lymphoma. Blood. 1986 Jul;68(1):113–118. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Ray D., Meneceur P., Tavitian A., Robert-Lezenes J. Presence of a c-myc transcript initiated in intron 1 in Friend erythroleukemia cells and in other murine cell types with no evidence of c-myc gene rearrangement. Mol Cell Biol. 1987 Feb;7(2):940–945. doi: 10.1128/mcb.7.2.940. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Reed J. C., Alpers J. D., Nowell P. C., Hoover R. G. Sequential expression of protooncogenes during lectin-stimulated mitogenesis of normal human lymphocytes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Jun;83(11):3982–3986. doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.11.3982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Reich N. C., Levine A. J. Growth regulation of a cellular tumour antigen, p53, in nontransformed cells. Nature. 1984 Mar 8;308(5955):199–201. doi: 10.1038/308199a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Reisman D., Yates J., Sugden B. A putative origin of replication of plasmids derived from Epstein-Barr virus is composed of two cis-acting components. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Aug;5(8):1822–1832. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.8.1822. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Rotter V., Boss M. A., Baltimore D. Increased concentration of an apparently identical cellular protein in cells transformed by either Abelson murine leukemia virus or other transforming agents. J Virol. 1981 Apr;38(1):336–346. doi: 10.1128/jvi.38.1.336-346.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Schibler U., Hagenbüchle O., Wellauer P. K., Pittet A. C. Two promoters of different strengths control the transcription of the mouse alpha-amylase gene Amy-1a in the parotid gland and the liver. Cell. 1983 Jun;33(2):501–508. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(83)90431-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Shohat O., Greenberg M., Reisman D., Oren M., Rotter V. Inhibition of cell growth mediated by plasmids encoding p53 anti-sense. Oncogene. 1987;1(3):277–283. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Southern E. M. Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. J Mol Biol. 1975 Nov 5;98(3):503–517. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(75)80083-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Sugden B., Marsh K., Yates J. A vector that replicates as a plasmid and can be efficiently selected in B-lymphoblasts transformed by Epstein-Barr virus. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Feb;5(2):410–413. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.2.410. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Taub R., Moulding C., Battey J., Murphy W., Vasicek T., Lenoir G. M., Leder P. Activation and somatic mutation of the translocated c-myc gene in burkitt lymphoma cells. Cell. 1984 Feb;36(2):339–348. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90227-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Thomas P. S. Hybridization of denatured RNA and small DNA fragments transferred to nitrocellulose. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1980 Sep;77(9):5201–5205. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.9.5201. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Wolf D., Harris N., Rotter V. Reconstitution of p53 expression in a nonproducer Ab-MuLV-transformed cell line by transfection of a functional p53 gene. Cell. 1984 Aug;38(1):119–126. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90532-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Wolf D., Laver-Rudich Z., Rotter V. In vitro expression of human p53 cDNA clones and characterization of the cloned human p53 gene. Mol Cell Biol. 1985 Aug;5(8):1887–1893. doi: 10.1128/mcb.5.8.1887. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Yates J. L., Warren N., Sugden B. Stable replication of plasmids derived from Epstein-Barr virus in various mammalian cells. 1985 Feb 28-Mar 6Nature. 313(6005):812–815. doi: 10.1038/313812a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES