Identification of 5'-flanking regions affecting the expression of the human decay accelerating factor gene and their role in tissue-specific expression.

Decay accelerating factor (DAF) is a complement regulatory protein that protects host tissue from complement-mediated damage by preventing the assembly and/or promoting the dissociation of C3 and C5 convertases. To identify and analyze the DNA sequence elements responsible for controlling DAF expression, the 5'-flanking region of the human DAF gene was cloned. Sequencing of 880 nucleotides upstream from the ATG codon revealed the absence of classic TATA or CAAT boxes. RNase protection and primer extension assays revealed a series of transcription start sites in a 10 nucleotide region located 86 nucleotides upstream from the ATG (the first of these start sites is numbered +1). Using HeLa, K562, EBV, and Molt 4 cells, DAF mRNA and protein were analyzed by Northern and Western blot. The DAF mRNA and protein levels roughly correlated, suggesting transcriptional control of gene expression. K562 and HeLa expressed high levels, EBV expressed intermediate levels, and Molt 4 expressed essentially no detectible DAF mRNA or protein. Regions of DAF 5'-flanking DNA were subcloned into plasmids containing the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene and tested in transient transfection assays. The construct extending from -206 to +84 (-206/+84) had transcriptional activity in the DAF-positive HeLa, K562, and EBV lines, but no activity in the DAF-negative Molt 4 line. In the three DAF-positive lines, major enhancer activity was demonstrated between -206 and -77, and between -77 and -54 (containing cAMP responsive element and AP-1 binding site). Additional deletion of the region between -54 and -34 (containing an Sp1 binding site) reduces chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity further but the low numerical values preclude statistical significance. The identification of transcription start sites and enhancer regions in the DAF gene will be important for studies of the mechanisms whereby cytokines and other factors may modulate DAF expression.