Faculty Bibliography

The elements involved in mediating cell-specific and thyroid hormone stimulation of rat growth hormone gene expression have been defined by transfection studies and by nuclease footprinting. 5'-Flanking DNA extending to -104 can mediate cell-specific expression, and this is enhanced 3- to 4-fold with DNA extending to -145. Cell-specific factors, found only in rat growth hormone producing cells, bind within the -137/-107 and -95/-65 regions, and competition studies suggest that the same factor binds to both sites. The sequence A (A or T) TAAAT is found at the center of both footprints at -80 and -122, suggesting that it is a core component of the recognition sequence of the cell-specific factor. Disruption of the spatial and/or distance relationships between the two regions eliminates the enhanced level of cell-specific expression, suggesting a cooperative interaction of the proteins which bind to these elements. Sequences located between -208 and -178 can confer thyroid hormone-regulated expression when linked in either orientation in close proximity to one or both cell-specific elements. The thyroid hormone and cell-specific elements function as an enhancer-like unit and are both required to confer regulated expression to heterologous promoters. We propose that thyroid hormone acts via its receptor to enhance the function of the cell-specific element by forming a more 'active' transcription complex which stimulates the level of gene expression

The regulation of growth hormone gene expression by thyroid hormone in cultured GH1 cells is mediated by a chromatin-associated receptor. We have previously described a photoaffinity label derivative of 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (L-T3) in which the alanine side chain was modified to form N-2-diazo-3,3,3-trifluoropropionyl-L-T3 (L-[125I]T3-PAL). On exposure to 254 nm UV light, L-[125I]T3-PAL generates a carbene which covalently modifies two thyroid hormone receptor forms in intact GH1 cells; an abundant 47,000 Mr species and a less abundant 57,000 Mr form. We have now synthesized similar photoaffinity label derivatives of 3,5,3',5'-tetraiodo-L-thyronine (L-T4) and 3,3',5'-triiodo-L-thyronine (L-rT3). Both compounds identify the same receptor forms in intact cells and in nuclear extracts in vitro as L-[125I]T3-PAL. Labeling by L-[125I]rT3-PAL was low and consistent with the very low occupancy of receptor by L-rT3. Underivatized L-[125I]T3 and L-[125I]T4 labeled the same receptor forms at 254 nm but at a markedly lower efficiency than their PAL derivatives. In contrast, N-bromoacetyl-L-[125I]T3, a chemical affinity labeling agent, did not derivatize either receptor form in vitro. The relative efficiency of coupling to receptor at 254 nm was L-[125I]T4-PAL greater than L-[125I]T3-PAL greater than L-[125I]T4 greater than L-[125I]T3. Although L-[125I]T4-PAL has a lower affinity for receptor than L-[125I]T3-PAL, its coupling efficiency was 5-10-fold higher. This suggests that the alanine side chain of L-[125I]T4-PAL is positioned in the ligand binding region near a residue which is efficiently modified by photoactivation. With L-[125I]T4-PAL we were able to identify three different molecular weight receptor species in human fibroblast nuclei

The elements that we have identified in the 5'-flanking region of the rat growth hormone gene are shown in Figure 7, and the following conclusions are drawn: 1) Cell-specific expression of the rat growth hormone gene is mediated by two CSEs, which are located from -95 to -65 and from -137 to -107.2) These CSEs bind a common cell-specific trans-acting factor (GH-CSF), which is found in growth hormone-producing cells. 3) Enhanced levels of cell-specific expression may involve a protein-protein interaction when this factor binds on the same side of the DNA helix as the two CSEs. 4) A TRE is located between -208 and -178. 5) Activation of the gene by thyroid hormone appears to require both the TRE and one of the CSEs, and both are required to confer L-T3 stimulation to several heterologous promoters. 6) Our studies support the notion that stimulation by L-T3 involves the binding of the L-T3-receptor complex to the TRE, which enhances the function of the CSEs, resulting in stimulation of growth hormone gene expression

Photoaffinity label probes of iodothyronines can interact with nuclear receptors in intact cells and in solubilized receptor preparations. These probes have certain advantages over a chemical affinity label in analyzing receptor structure. First, a photoaffinity label probe covalently cross-links only after photoactivation. Therefore, it is possible to demonstrate with appropriate competitive inhibition studies that the photoaffinity label probe associates with the receptor in question. Secondly, since cross-linking only occurs after photolysis, it is possible to adjust the concentration of the photoaffinity label to maximize association with 'specific' binding sites relative to 'non-specific' associations prior to covalent linkage by photoactivation. The different [125I]iodothyronine-PAL analogues may be useful as probes of the thyroid hormone receptor binding domain since PAL compounds with different affinities for receptor may photocouple to different receptor residues within or proximate to the hormone binding region. These probes may also be useful as an adjunct to receptor purification and in probing the organization of the receptor in chromatin. Lastly, they may provide insights into possible alterations of receptor structure in patients with partial end organ resistance to thyroid hormone (Refetoff et al., 1967; Eil et al., 1982)