Transcriptional silencer of the Wilms' tumor gene WT1 contains an Alu repeat.

Expression of the Wilms' tumor gene WT1 is tightly regulated throughout development. In contrast, the WT1 promoter is promiscuous, functioning in all cell lines tested. We have cloned a transcriptional silencer that is involved in regulation of the WT1 gene. The transcriptional silencer is located in the third intron of the WT1 gene, approximately 12 kilobases from the promoter, and functions to repress transcription from the WT1 promoter in cell lines of non-renal origin. The 460-base pair silencer region is unusual in that it contains a full-length Alu repeat. We have also cloned an enhancer like-element located 1.3 kilobases upstream of the WT1 promoter.