Characterization of the human MSX-1 promoter and an enhancer responsible for retinoic acid induction.

Previous studies have shown that the expression of some human HOX genes can be induced by retinoic acid (RA) in cultured embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells. However, the mechanisms for the regulation of HOX gene expression by RA are still unclear. We have examined the effects of RA on the human MSX-1 (formerly named HOX-7) gene expression in cultured EC cells (NT2/D1). Furthermore, we have cloned and characterized the human MSX-1 promoter and analyzed the activities of the promoter in response to RA. Our results demonstrate that transcription of human MSX-1 is activated by RA in cultured EC cells. This activation is dose and time responsive. The MSX-1 promoter was shown to be TATA-box independent and able to promote transcription in RA-treated EC cells. DNase-I footprinting studies revealed protection of several GAGA factor binding sites and an NF-kappa B site upstream to the transcription start site by nuclear extracts prepared from EC cells. A downstream sequence was differentially protected by the nuclear extract from RA treated cells. This differential binding of the sequence with the nuclear extract was further confirmed by gel shift assays. This sequence confers to a heterologous promoter with the ability to respond to RA induction. Point mutation within this DNA fragment abolished the binding of the fragment to the nuclear extract and the response of this element in a heterologous promoter to RA induction. Deletion of this enhancer element together with the adjacent NF-kappa B and GAGA sites abolished the ability of the promoter to direct transcription in RA-treated EC cells. However, removal of a downstream DNA fragment from the promoter endowed the promoter with the ability to direct transcription in RA-untreated cells. Taken together, both positive and negative regulatory cis-elements are involved in the regulation of the MSX-1 promoter and coordinate to control the gene expression.