We have used the yeast one-hybrid system to identify transcription factors with binding capability to specific sequences in proximal regions of the apolipoprotein E gene ( APOE ) promoter. The sequence between -113 and -80 nt, which contains regulatory elements in various cell types, was used as a bait to screen a human brain cDNA library. Four cDNA clones that encoded portions of the human ups...

Although non-genomic steroid receptor pathways have been studied over the past decade, little is known about the direct gene expression changes that take place as a consequence of their activation. Progesterone controls proliferation of rat endometrial stromal cells during the peri-implantation phase of pregnancy. We showed that picomolar concentration of progestin R5020 mimics this control in ...

Using a clever combination of genetic and biochemical tools researchers have shown that a transcription factor called USF1 has a central role in determining how mutations of the Clock gene manifest themselves in the behaviour of different mouse strains.

Expression of multiple transgenes in cells or whole organisms is a powerful tool for basic research of various biological functions and potentially for clinical applications such as gene therapy. As a model system for this purpose, multi-cDNA expression clones were constructed harboring two tandemly situated fluorescent protein cDNAs as reporter genes on a single plasmid. When 293 cells were tr...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a pivotal role in carcinogenesis by suppressing oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. Various studies have identified numerous miRNAs and their diverse targets; however, the consequences of dysregulated miRNAs in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remain unclear. For this study, we found that miR-148a is downregulated through hypermethylation in NPC biopsies and NPC cell line...

The transcription factor homeobox B4 (HOXB4) is preferentially expressed in immature hematopoietic cells and implicated in the transition from primitive hematopoiesis to definitive hematopoiesis as well as in immature hematopoietic cell proliferation and differentiation. We previously identified Hox response element 1 (HxRE-1) and HxRE-2/E-box as 2 critical DNA-binding sites of the HOXB4 promot...

USF1 and USF2 are basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors implicated in the control of cellular proliferation. In HeLa cells, the USF proteins are transcriptionally active and their overexpression causes marked growth inhibition. In contrast, USF overexpression had essentially no effect on the proliferation of the Saos-2 osteosarcoma cell line. USF1 and USF2 also lacked transcriptional act...

Fragile X syndrome is due to mutation of the FMR1 gene. The most common mutation is an expansion of a CGG repeat in the 50 UTR that triggers dense DNA methylation and formation of a heterochromatin-like structure which lead to transcriptional silencing. In vitro experiments have identified several transcription factors, including Sp1, Nrf-1 and USF1/2, as potential regulators of normal FMR1 pro...

The human HO-1 (haem oxygenase-1) gene encodes a microsomal enzyme responsible for the breakdown of haem, and is also cytoprotective in response to various cellular insults. HO-1 transcription is induced by a vast array of compounds including, but certainly not limited to, haem and heavy metals such as cadmium. In the present study, we show that upstream stimulatory factors, USF1 and USF2, ubiq...