Progressive inactivation of the expression of an erythroid transcriptional factor in GM- and G-CSF-dependent myeloid cell lines.

The transcriptional binding protein NFE-1 (also called GF-1 and Ery-f1) is thought to play a necessary, but not sufficient, role in the regulation of differentiation-related gene expression in a subset of hematopoietic lineages (erythroid, megakaryocytic, and basophil-mast cell). In order to clarify the mechanism which underlies the lineage-specificity of the NFE-1 expression, as well as the relationship between the expression of this factor and growth factor responsiveness, we have evaluated the capacity of erythropoietin (Epo)-, granulomonocytic (GM)-colony stimulating factor (CSF)-, and granulocyte (G)-CSF-dependent subclones derived from the interleukin 3 (IL-3)-dependent cell line 32D, to express 1) NFE-1 mRNA, 2) NFE-1-related nuclear proteins, and 3) chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) activity when transfected with a CAT gene under the control of NFE-1 cognate sequences. NFE-1 mRNA was found to be expressed not only in cells with mast cell (IL-3-dependent 32D) and erythroid (Epo-dependent 32D Epo1) phenotypes, but also in cells with predominantly granulocyte/macrophage properties, such as the GM-CSF- (early myelomonocytic) and G-CSF- (myelocytic) dependent subclones of 32D. However, a gradient of expression, correlating with the lineage, the stage of differentiation, and the growth factor responsiveness of the cell lines, was found among the different subclones: Epo greater than or equal to IL-3 greater than GM-CSF greater than G-CSF. Binding experiments demonstrated NFE-1 activity in all cell lines except the G-CSF-dependent line. Function of the NFE-1 protein was assessed by the expression of the CAT gene linked to the SV40 promoter and a mutant (-175 T----C) HPFH gamma-globin promoter. High level CAT expression was seen only in the Epo1 cells although low level expression was also seen in the parent 32D. These results demonstrate that the specificity of the expression of NFE-1 for the erythroid--megakaryocytic--mast cell lineages is obtained by progressive inactivation of its expression in alternative lineages.