Characterization of hepatic-specific regulatory elements in the promoter region of the human cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase gene.

Cholesterol 7alpha-hydroxylase is the rate-limiting enzyme in the degradation of cholesterol to bile salts and plays a central role in regulating cholesterol homeostasis. The mechanisms involved in the transcriptional control of the human gene are largely unknown. HepG2 cells represent an appropriate model system for the study of the regulation of the gene. To identify liver-specific DNA sequences in the promoter of the human CYP7 gene, we first examined the DNase I hypersensitivity in the 5'-region of the gene. An area of hypersensitivity was observed in the region from -50 to -200 of the human gene in nuclei from transcriptionally active HepG2 cells, but was absent in transcriptionally inactive HeLa cell nuclei or in free DNA. Various 5'-promoter deletion constructs were made and transfected into HepG2 cells. About 300 base pairs of upstream sequence are required for high level promoter activity of the human CYP7 gene in HepG2 cells. DNase I footprinting of the hypersensitive region revealed nine protected sequences. Gel retardation experiments demonstrated binding of HNF-3 to the segment from -80 to -70 and of hepatocyte nuclear factor HNF-4 (and ARP-1) to the segment from -148 to -127 of the human CYP7 promoter. Deletion of either of these sites depressed promoter activity in HepG2 cells. A third region from -313 to -285 is bound by members of the HNF-3 family and acts as an enhancer. Additionally, the segment from -197 to -173 binds a negative regulatory protein that is present in Chinese hamster ovary cell extracts and in HepG2 cell extracts. These experiments define the key control elements responsible for basal transcription of the human CYP7 gene in HepG2 cells.