c-fos sequence necessary for basal expression and induction by epidermal growth factor, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate and the calcium ionophore.

We have investigated the sequence requirements for induction of the human c-fos gene by epidermal growth factor (EGF), 12-O-tetradecanoyl-13-acetate (TPA), and the calcium ionophore A23187 by transfecting c-fos promoter mutants into HeLa and A431 cells. Induction by both EGF and TPA in HeLa cells required the presence of the c-fos enhancer located at -317 to -298 relative to the mRNA cap site. A23187, however, did not induce expression of the transfected gene, even though it strongly induced expression of the endogenous gene, suggesting that it has different requirements for induction than do EGF and TPA. We have also investigated the role of promoter sequences downstream of the enhancer in general expression and induction of c-fos. A sequence between -97 and -76, which includes an 8-base-pair perfect direct repeat, was needed for efficient general expression but not for induction of the gene. A factor in nuclear extracts that bound specifically to this sequence was detected by a gel mobility shift assay. A 7-base-pair sequence, located between -63 and -57 relative to the mRNA cap site and previously shown to be important for general expression of mouse c-fos, was also important for general expression of the human gene. In addition, this element was important for inducibility by EGF and TPA, since induction was significantly reduced when internal deletion mutants that retained the enhancer but lacked the -63 to -57 sequence element were analyzed in transfecting assays.