Abstract
The Oct-2 protein is a tissue-specific POU-homeodomain transcription factor. It has been considered to represent a developmental regulator of immunoglobulin gene expression by virtue of its interaction with a functionally essential octamer element found in immunoglobulin gene promoters. This proposal has been most strongly challenged by several in vitro transcription analyses which have shown that the related ubiquitous factor Oct-1 can activate transcription from immunoglobulin gene promoters as efficiently as Oct-2. We have genetically analyzed Oct-2 function by using gene targeting to disrupt both alleles of the locus in the murine B cell line WEHI-231. This cell line expresses productively rearranged immunoglobulin genes as well as the Oct-2 gene at high levels which are comparable to those observed in activated murine splenic B cells. In spite of a drastic reduction in Oct-2 levels (20-fold), no effect was observed on the expression of endogenous immunoglobulin genes or on the activity of a transfected immunoglobulin promoter or a heterologous promoter with a single octamer element. In contrast, expression of a reporter construct containing multiple octamer motifs upstream of a heterologous promoter was severely reduced in the double-disruptant cells. The differential responses of the single- and multiple-octamer motif reporter constructs in the mutant B cells are unlikely to be a consequence of differing concentration requirements for activation by Oct-2. The two constructs are activated equivalently over the same range of Oct-2 concentration in a non-B cell. These results provide genetic support for the existence of an Oct-2-independent, but octamer element-dependent, B cell-specific pathway for immunoglobulin gene transcription. They also genetically reveal a distinct Oct-2-dependent pathway of octamer-mediated gene activation. This study demonstrates the feasibility of targeting a diploid locus in a somatic mammalian cell line. Extension of this approach to genes encoding other transcription factors will allow a genetic dissection of their functions within the context of cell lines representing various differentiation states.
Full text
PDF









Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Annweiler A., Müller-Immerglück M., Wirth T. Oct2 transactivation from a remote enhancer position requires a B-cell-restricted activity. Mol Cell Biol. 1992 Jul;12(7):3107–3116. doi: 10.1128/mcb.12.7.3107. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bergman Y., Rice D., Grosschedl R., Baltimore D. Two regulatory elements for immunoglobulin kappa light chain gene expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Nov;81(22):7041–7045. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.22.7041. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bergman Y., Strich B., Sharir H., Ber R., Laskov R. Extinction of Ig genes expression in myeloma x fibroblast somatic cell hybrids is accompanied by repression of the oct-2 gene encoding a B-cell specific transcription factor. EMBO J. 1990 Mar;9(3):849–855. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1990.tb08182.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Boyd A. W., Goding J. W., Schrader J. W. The regulation of growth and differentiation of a murine B cell lymphoma. I. Lipopolysaccharide-induced differentiation. J Immunol. 1981 Jun;126(6):2461–2465. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Boyd A. W., Schrader J. W. The regulation of growth and differentiation of a murine B cell lymphoma. II. The inhibition of WEHI 231 by anti-immunoglobulin antibodies. J Immunol. 1981 Jun;126(6):2466–2469. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dreyfus M., Doyen N., Rougeon F. The conserved decanucleotide from the immunoglobulin heavy chain promoter induces a very high transcriptional activity in B-cells when introduced into an heterologous promoter. EMBO J. 1987 Jun;6(6):1685–1690. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb02418.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Falkner F. G., Zachau H. G. Correct transcription of an immunoglobulin kappa gene requires an upstream fragment containing conserved sequence elements. Nature. 1984 Jul 5;310(5972):71–74. doi: 10.1038/310071a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Feldhaus A. L., Mbangkollo D., Arvin K. L., Klug C. A., Singh H. BLyF, a novel cell-type- and stage-specific regulator of the B-lymphocyte gene mb-1. Mol Cell Biol. 1992 Mar;12(3):1126–1133. doi: 10.1128/mcb.12.3.1126. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Foster J., Stafford J., Queen C. An immunoglobulin promoter displays cell-type specificity independently of the enhancer. 1985 May 30-Jun 5Nature. 315(6018):423–425. doi: 10.1038/315423a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gopal T. V., Shimada T., Baur A. W., Nienhuis A. W. Contribution of promoter to tissue-specific expression of the mouse immunoglobulin kappa gene. Science. 1985 Sep 13;229(4718):1102–1104. doi: 10.1126/science.2994213. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hatzopoulos A. K., Stoykova A. S., Erselius J. R., Goulding M., Neuman T., Gruss P. Structure and expression of the mouse Oct2a and Oct2b, two differentially spliced products of the same gene. Development. 1990 Jun;109(2):349–362. doi: 10.1242/dev.109.2.349. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- He X., Treacy M. N., Simmons D. M., Ingraham H. A., Swanson L. W., Rosenfeld M. G. Expression of a large family of POU-domain regulatory genes in mammalian brain development. Nature. 1989 Jul 6;340(6228):35–41. doi: 10.1038/340035a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hermanson G. G., Briskin M., Sigman D., Wall R. Immunoglobulin enhancer and promoter motifs 5' of the B29 B-cell-specific gene. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Oct;86(19):7341–7345. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.19.7341. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hermanson G. G., Eisenberg D., Kincade P. W., Wall R. B29: a member of the immunoglobulin gene superfamily exclusively expressed on beta-lineage cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Sep;85(18):6890–6894. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.18.6890. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Herr W., Sturm R. A., Clerc R. G., Corcoran L. M., Baltimore D., Sharp P. A., Ingraham H. A., Rosenfeld M. G., Finney M., Ruvkun G. The POU domain: a large conserved region in the mammalian pit-1, oct-1, oct-2, and Caenorhabditis elegans unc-86 gene products. Genes Dev. 1988 Dec;2(12A):1513–1516. doi: 10.1101/gad.2.12a.1513. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Jenuwein T., Grosschedl R. Complex pattern of immunoglobulin mu gene expression in normal and transgenic mice: nonoverlapping regulatory sequences govern distinct tissue specificities. Genes Dev. 1991 Jun;5(6):932–943. doi: 10.1101/gad.5.6.932. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Johnson D. G., Carayannopoulos L., Capra J. D., Tucker P. W., Hanke J. H. The ubiquitous octamer-binding protein(s) is sufficient for transcription of immunoglobulin genes. Mol Cell Biol. 1990 Mar;10(3):982–990. doi: 10.1128/mcb.10.3.982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Junker S., Pedersen S., Schreiber E., Matthias P. Extinction of an immunoglobulin kappa promoter in cell hybrids is mediated by the octamer motif and correlates with suppression of Oct-2 expression. Cell. 1990 May 4;61(3):467–474. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90528-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kemler I., Bucher E., Seipel K., Müller-Immerglück M. M., Schaffner W. Promoters with the octamer DNA motif (ATGCAAAT) can be ubiquitous or cell type-specific depending on binding affinity of the octamer site and Oct-factor concentration. Nucleic Acids Res. 1991 Jan 25;19(2):237–242. doi: 10.1093/nar/19.2.237. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kristie T. M., LeBowitz J. H., Sharp P. A. The octamer-binding proteins form multi-protein--DNA complexes with the HSV alpha TIF regulatory protein. EMBO J. 1989 Dec 20;8(13):4229–4238. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1989.tb08608.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LaBella F., Sive H. L., Roeder R. G., Heintz N. Cell-cycle regulation of a human histone H2b gene is mediated by the H2b subtype-specific consensus element. Genes Dev. 1988 Jan;2(1):32–39. doi: 10.1101/gad.2.1.32. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- LeBowitz J. H., Kobayashi T., Staudt L., Baltimore D., Sharp P. A. Octamer-binding proteins from B or HeLa cells stimulate transcription of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain promoter in vitro. Genes Dev. 1988 Oct;2(10):1227–1237. doi: 10.1101/gad.2.10.1227. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Luo Y., Fujii H., Gerster T., Roeder R. G. A novel B cell-derived coactivator potentiates the activation of immunoglobulin promoters by octamer-binding transcription factors. Cell. 1992 Oct 16;71(2):231–241. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90352-d. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mason J. O., Williams G. T., Neuberger M. S. Transcription cell type specificity is conferred by an immunoglobulin VH gene promoter that includes a functional consensus sequence. Cell. 1985 Jun;41(2):479–487. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(85)80021-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Miller C. L., Feldhaus A. L., Rooney J. W., Rhodes L. D., Sibley C. H., Singh H. Regulation and a possible stage-specific function of Oct-2 during pre-B-cell differentiation. Mol Cell Biol. 1991 Oct;11(10):4885–4894. doi: 10.1128/mcb.11.10.4885. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Murphy S., Moorefield B., Pieler T. Common mechanisms of promoter recognition by RNA polymerases II and III. Trends Genet. 1989 Apr;5(4):122–126. doi: 10.1016/0168-9525(89)90043-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Müller M. M., Ruppert S., Schaffner W., Matthias P. A cloned octamer transcription factor stimulates transcription from lymphoid-specific promoters in non-B cells. Nature. 1988 Dec 8;336(6199):544–551. doi: 10.1038/336544a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Page D. M., DeFranco A. L. Antigen receptor-induced cell cycle arrest in WEHI-231 B lymphoma cells depends on the duration of signaling before the G1 phase restriction point. Mol Cell Biol. 1990 Jun;10(6):3003–3012. doi: 10.1128/mcb.10.6.3003. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Parslow T. G., Blair D. L., Murphy W. J., Granner D. K. Structure of the 5' ends of immunoglobulin genes: a novel conserved sequence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 May;81(9):2650–2654. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.9.2650. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Picard D., Schaffner W. Cell-type preference of immunoglobulin kappa and lambda gene promoters. EMBO J. 1985 Nov;4(11):2831–2838. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb04011.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pierani A., Heguy A., Fujii H., Roeder R. G. Activation of octamer-containing promoters by either octamer-binding transcription factor 1 (OTF-1) or OTF-2 and requirement of an additional B-cell-specific component for optimal transcription of immunoglobulin promoters. Mol Cell Biol. 1990 Dec;10(12):6204–6215. doi: 10.1128/mcb.10.12.6204. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Queen C., Foster J., Stauber C., Stafford J. Cell-type specific regulation of a kappa immunoglobulin gene by promoter and enhancer elements. Immunol Rev. 1986 Feb;89:49–68. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1986.tb01472.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Reth M., Hombach J., Wienands J., Campbell K. S., Chien N., Justement L. B., Cambier J. C. The B-cell antigen receptor complex. Immunol Today. 1991 Jun;12(6):196–201. doi: 10.1016/0167-5699(91)90053-V. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schaffner W. How do different transcription factors binding the same DNA sequence sort out their jobs? Trends Genet. 1989 Feb;5(2):37–39. doi: 10.1016/0168-9525(89)90017-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Scheidereit C., Cromlish J. A., Gerster T., Kawakami K., Balmaceda C. G., Currie R. A., Roeder R. G. A human lymphoid-specific transcription factor that activates immunoglobulin genes is a homoeobox protein. Nature. 1988 Dec 8;336(6199):551–557. doi: 10.1038/336551a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schlissel M. S., Baltimore D. Activation of immunoglobulin kappa gene rearrangement correlates with induction of germline kappa gene transcription. Cell. 1989 Sep 8;58(5):1001–1007. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90951-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schreiber E., Matthias P., Müller M. M., Schaffner W. Identification of a novel lymphoid specific octamer binding protein (OTF-2B) by proteolytic clipping bandshift assay (PCBA). EMBO J. 1988 Dec 20;7(13):4221–4229. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1988.tb03319.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Schöler H. R. Octamania: the POU factors in murine development. Trends Genet. 1991 Oct;7(10):323–329. doi: 10.1016/0168-9525(91)90422-m. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Singh H., Sen R., Baltimore D., Sharp P. A. A nuclear factor that binds to a conserved sequence motif in transcriptional control elements of immunoglobulin genes. Nature. 1986 Jan 9;319(6049):154–158. doi: 10.1038/319154a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Staudt L. M., Clerc R. G., Singh H., LeBowitz J. H., Sharp P. A., Baltimore D. Cloning of a lymphoid-specific cDNA encoding a protein binding the regulatory octamer DNA motif. Science. 1988 Jul 29;241(4865):577–580. doi: 10.1126/science.3399892. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Staudt L. M., Lenardo M. J. Immunoglobulin gene transcription. Annu Rev Immunol. 1991;9:373–398. doi: 10.1146/annurev.iy.09.040191.002105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Staudt L. M., Singh H., Sen R., Wirth T., Sharp P. A., Baltimore D. A lymphoid-specific protein binding to the octamer motif of immunoglobulin genes. Nature. 1986 Oct 16;323(6089):640–643. doi: 10.1038/323640a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sturm R. A., Das G., Herr W. The ubiquitous octamer-binding protein Oct-1 contains a POU domain with a homeo box subdomain. Genes Dev. 1988 Dec;2(12A):1582–1599. doi: 10.1101/gad.2.12a.1582. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tanaka M., Grossniklaus U., Herr W., Hernandez N. Activation of the U2 snRNA promoter by the octamer motif defines a new class of RNA polymerase II enhancer elements. Genes Dev. 1988 Dec;2(12B):1764–1778. doi: 10.1101/gad.2.12b.1764. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Tanaka M., Herr W. Differential transcriptional activation by Oct-1 and Oct-2: interdependent activation domains induce Oct-2 phosphorylation. Cell. 1990 Feb 9;60(3):375–386. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90589-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Verrijzer C. P., Alkema M. J., van Weperen W. W., Van Leeuwen H. C., Strating M. J., van der Vliet P. C. The DNA binding specificity of the bipartite POU domain and its subdomains. EMBO J. 1992 Dec;11(13):4993–5003. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05606.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wirth T., Staudt L., Baltimore D. An octamer oligonucleotide upstream of a TATA motif is sufficient for lymphoid-specific promoter activity. Nature. 1987 Sep 10;329(6135):174–178. doi: 10.1038/329174a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- te Riele H., Maandag E. R., Clarke A., Hooper M., Berns A. Consecutive inactivation of both alleles of the pim-1 proto-oncogene by homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells. Nature. 1990 Dec 13;348(6302):649–651. doi: 10.1038/348649a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]