Activation of mouse renin promoter by cAMP and c-Jun in a kidney-derived cell line

A single nucleotide mutation in the mouse renin promoter disrupts blood pressure regulation

Renin, a major regulatory component of the renin-angiotensin system, plays a pivotal role in regulating blood pressure and electrolyte homeostasis and is predominantly expressed in the kidney. Several cAMP-responsive elements have been identified within renin gene promoters. Here, we study how 2 such elements, renin proximal promoter element-2 (RP-2) and overlapping cAMP and negative regulatory elements (CNRE), affect the transcriptional regulation of renin. We generated Tg mice (TgM) bearing BACs containing either WT or mutant RP-2 or CNRE, integrated at single chromosomal loci. Analysis of the TgM revealed that RP-2 was essential to basal promoter activity in the kidney, while renin mRNA levels did not significantly change in any tissues tested in the CNRE mutant TgM. To evaluate the physiological significance of these mutations, we used the BAC Tg to rescue hypotensive Renin-null mutant mice. As predicted, no renin expression was observed in the kidneys of RP-2 mutant/Renin-null compound mice, whereas renin expression in CNRE mutant compound mice was indistinguishable from that in control mice. Consistent with this, RP-2 mutant animals were hypotensive, while CNRE mutants had normal blood pressure. Thus, transcriptional regulation of renin expression via RP-2 but not CNRE is critical for blood pressure regulation by this gene.

Response of Djun and Dfos mRNA abundance to signal transduction pathways in cultured cells of Drosophila melanogaster

The mammalian proto-oncogenes c-jun and c-fos are situated at the end of multiple signal transduction pathways and activation of their products Jun and Fos, components of the transcription factor AP-1, are able to regulate gene transcription in response to extracellular stimuli. Djun and Dfos, the products of the Drosophila proto-oncongenes Djun and Dfos, are similar in size and sequence to their mammalian counterparts c-Jun and c-Fos and are related to their mammalian counterparts by their antigenic properties. However, very little is known about how they are regulated through signal transduction pathways. This paper has investigated the response of their mRNA abundance levels to three signal transduction pathways in Drosophila cultured cells. Various agonists and antagonists that stimulate and inhibit specific enzymes in the pathways have been tested. The results suggest that Djun and Dfos mRNA are continuously expressed and their abundance levels are transiently regulated by multiple signaling pathways, the peak response coming at 1-2 hours after perturbation. Dfos is more highly regulated than Djun which is only modulated. The receptor tyrosine kinase pathways positively regulate Dfos and Djun. The cAMP-mediated pathway positively regulates Dfos but negatively regulates Djun. The protein kinase C-activated pathway does not affect Djun whereas it negatively regulates Dfos.

Possible role of c-Jun in transcription of the mouse renin gene

BACKGROUND

Renin is a rate-limiting enzyme for activity of the circulating renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and expression of the renin gene is regulated by a variety of stimuli. In this study, we examined a possible role of c-Jun in the transcription of renin gene.

METHODS

The renin promoter, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), fusion genes with or without c-Jun expression vector (pSV-c-Jun) were transfected into human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells, and the effects of c-Jun were examined by deletion and mutation analyses of CAT assay and by in vitro transcription-primer extension assay. We also examined the effects of c-Jun on DNA-binding activity to the renin promoter by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). Furthermore, we examined the effects of c-Jun on transcription of the renin gene in enriched juxtaglomerular (JG) cells by cotransfection with pSV-c-Jun and by treatment with antisense c-jun oligodeoxynucleotides.

RESULTS

Promoter activity of the renin gene was increased by c-Jun overexpression in HEK cells, and the proximal promoter region from -47 to +16 was sufficient for transcriptional activation by c-Jun. Although mutation of activator protein-1 (AP-1) element-like sequences in the proximal promoter did not affect c-Jun-mediated stimulation, mutation of the core promoter including the TATA box inhibited c-Jun-mediated transcription. The results of EMSA showed that c-Jun overexpression produced a binding of nuclear factor, which was HEK cell-specific and distinct from TATA box-binding protein and AP-1 family transcription factor, to the renin core promoter region (RC element) from -36 to -20. The overexpression of c-Jun activated the renin promoter in renin-expressing JG cells, and antisense c-jun decreased the activity of renin promoter and expression of renin mRNA in JG cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that the RC element plays a role in c-Jun-mediated transcriptional regulation of the renin gene in HEK cells, and suggest that c-Jun participates in the regulation of renin gene expression in JG cells of the kidney.

A novel proximal element mediates the regulation of mouse Ren-1C promoter by retinoblastoma protein in cultured cells

The protein product of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene, RB, is a nuclear phosphoprotein that modulates transcription of genes involved in growth control via interactions with transcription factors. Renin is a rate-limiting enzyme of the renin-angiotensin system that regulates blood pressure and water-electrolyte balance. Renin gene expression is regulated in a tissue-specific and developmentally linked manner. Similarly, the expression of RB is controlled in a differentiation-linked manner. Thus, to investigate whether RB is involved in the regulation of renin gene expression, we examined the effects of RB on transcriptional activity of the mouse renin (Ren-1C) promoter. The Ren-1C promoter contains two transcriptionally important elements; the RU-1 (-224 to -138) and RP-2 (-75 to -47) elements. RB activated the Ren-1C promoter in human embryonic kidney cells. The promoter element responsible for RB-mediated transcriptional regulation was the RP-2 element. The results of DNA-protein binding experiments showed that RB increased nuclear binding activity to the RP-2 element, and site-directed mutation which disrupted binding of nuclear factors to the RP-2 element markedly reduced RB-mediated activation of Ren-1C promoter in human embryonic kidney cells. These results indicate that the RP-2 element plays an important role in RB-mediated transcriptional regulation of Ren-1C promoter activity in human embryonic kidney cells, thereby suggesting an interesting mechanism by which RB may modulate the renin-angiotensin system.

Mechanism of cAMP regulation of renin gene transcription by proximal promoter

Renin is produced mainly by the kidney, and cAMP is a main positive regulator of its synthesis. This study was undertaken to analyze the molecular mechanism of cAMP-mediated regulation of Ren-1C gene transcription by the proximal promoter. We first showed that the promoter region from -365 to +16 of the mouse renin gene (Ren-1C) mediated the cAMP-induced chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene expression in embryonic kidney-derived 293 cells. Deletion analysis and heterologous promoter assay disclosed that the proximal promoter region from -75 to +16 was able to activate chloramphenicol acetyltransferase expression by cAMP, and indicated that the proximal promoter element from -75 to -47 (RP-2 element) overlapping the TATA-like region was able to confer cAMP responsiveness. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and DNase I footprinting analysis demonstrated that novel nuclear factors in 293 cells interacted with the RP-2 element, and that cAMP increased the binding activity of these nuclear factors to the RP-2 element. Furthermore, we demonstrated that cAMP enhanced the binding of nuclear factors derived from juxtaglomerular cells, the main production site of renin in the kidney, to the RP-2 element in vivo. These results suggest that the RP-2 element plays an important role in the cAMP-mediated regulation of Ren-1C gene transcription through the proximal promoter.

Molecular mechanism of transcriptional activation of angiotensinogen gene by proximal promoter

Angiotensinogen is shown to be produced by the liver and the hepatoma cell line HepG2. As a first step for understanding the molecular relationship between the transcriptional regulation of the angiotensinogen gene and the pathogenesis of hypertension, we have analyzed the basal promoter of the angiotensinogen gene. Chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) assays with 5'-deleted constructs showed that the proximal promoter region from -96 to +22 of the transcriptional start site was enough to express HepG2-specific CAT activity. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and DNase I footprinting demonstrated that the liver- and HepG2-specific nuclear factor (angiotensinogen gene-activating factor [AGF2]) and ubiquitous nuclear factor (AGF3) bound to the proximal promoter element from -96 to -52 (angiotensinogen gene-activating element [AGE2]) and to the core promoter element from -6 to +22 (AGE3), respectively. The site-directed disruption of either AGE2 or AGE3 decreased CAT expression, and the sequential titration of AGF3 binding by in vivo competition remarkably suppressed HepG2-specific CAT activity. Finally, the heterologous thymidine kinase promoter assay showed that AGE2 and AGE3 synergistically conferred HepG2-specific CAT expression. These results suggest that the synergistic interplay between AGF2 and AGF3 is important for the angiotensinogen promoter activation.

Molecular mechanism of adipogenic activation of the angiotensinogen gene

Angiotensinogen gene expression is controlled in a tissue- and development-specific manner. Interestingly, the angiotensinogen gene is abundantly expressed in adipose tissues other than the liver, where it is mainly produced. We investigated the molecular mechanism of angiotensinogen gene expression in a 3T3-L1 preadipocyte-adipocyte system. Although angiotensinogen mRNA was barely detectable in preadipocytes, its levels increased significantly during differentiation. As a whole, the pattern of the change in transcriptional activity of the angiotensinogen promoter was similar to that of the angiotensinogen mRNA levels during adipogenic differentiation, indicating that the activation of the angiotensinogen promoter might be involved in the adipogenic differentiation-coupled gene expression. The proximal promoter region, from -96 to +22 of the transcriptional start site, was sufficient to confer adipogenic activation, and the proximal element from -96 to -52 of the transcriptional start site was necessary for this promoter stimulation. DNA-protein binding experiments showed that this proximal element specifically bound to a nuclear factor induced by adipogenic differentiation. These results suggest that the proximal promoter element from -96 to -52 plays a role in adipogenic activation of the angiotensinogen promoter.