Transcriptional regulation of the hepatocyte growth factor gene by the nuclear receptors chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor and estrogen receptor.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a multifunctional cytokine that controls the growth and differentiation of various tissues. Previously, we described the existence of a negative cis-acting regulatory element(s) within the -1- to -0.7-kilobase pair (kb) portion of the 5'-flanking region of the mouse HGF promoter. In the present study, we show that the repressor element is located at position -872 to -860 base pairs and comprises an imperfect estrogen-responsive element 5'-AGGTCAGAAAGACCA-3'. We demonstrate that chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor (COUP-TF), a nuclear orphan receptor belonging to the steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily, through binding to this site effectively silences the transcriptional activity of the HGF promoter. We show that estrogen receptor, on the other hand, relieves the repressive action of COUP-TF, resulting in the induction of the HGF promoter. Using mice transgenic for either 2.7 or 0.7 kb of the HGF promoter region linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene, we found that injection of estradiol stimulates HGF promoter activity in tissues such as the mammary gland and ovary of mice harboring 2.7 but not 0.7 kb of the mouse HGF promoter region. Potential involvement of the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) family of transcription factors in the regulation of HGF gene expression is also discussed.