Specific binding of estrogen receptor to sites upstream and within the transcribed region of the chicken ovalbumin gene.

By means of the DNA-cellulose competitive binding assay, the interaction of estrogen receptor complexed to 17 beta-estradiol with fragments of a cloned DNA region of the estrogen responsive chicken ovalbumin gene spanning from 1343 bps upstream to 373 bps within the transcribed region of the gene (p0V 1.7) was investigated. Only DNA fragments including either the 5'-flanking region from -21 to -140 bps or the region within the gene from +41 to +143 bps showed binding affinity for the estrogen receptor higher than calf thymus DNA. DNA fragments from human alpha 1-globin gene and glucocorticoid responsive murine mammary tumor provirus corresponding to the same DNA region investigated for ovalbumin showed affinity for the estrogen receptor no higher than that of calf thymus DNA. These results suggest that two specific binding sites for estrogen receptor are located upstream and within the ovalbumin gene, near the start-site of transcription. These receptor binding sites overlap with the 'estrogen response element' identified by Dean et al. (1) and the DNase I Hypersensitive region I found by Kaye et al. (2).