Expression of the Rat Sterol Regulatory Element-binding Protein-1c Gene in Response to Insulin Is Mediated by Increased Transactivating Capacity of Specificity

The induction of genes involved in lipid biosynthesis by insulin is mediated in part by the sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c). SREBP-1c is directly regulated by insulin by transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms. Previously, we have demonstrated that the insulin-responsive cis-acting unit of the rat SREBP-1c promoter is composed of several elements that include a sterol regulatory element, two liver X receptor elements, and a number of conservedGCboxes. Here we systematically dissected the role of these GC boxes and report that five bona fide Sp1-binding elements of the SREBP-1c promoter determine its basal and insulin-induced activation. Luciferase expression driven by the rat SREBP-1c promoter was accelerated by ectopic expression of Sp1, and insulin further enhanced the transactivation potential of Sp