The Bax Inhibitor-1 Gene Is Differentially Regulated in Adult Testis and Developing Lung by Two Alternative TATA-Less Promoters Jyh Chang Jean, Sean M
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Genomics 57, 201–208 (1999) Article ID geno.1999.5761, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on The Bax Inhibitor-1 Gene Is Differentially Regulated in Adult Testis and Developing Lung by Two Alternative TATA-less Promoters Jyh Chang Jean, Sean M. Oakes, and Martin Joyce-Brady1 The Pulmonary Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02118 Received October 9, 1998; accepted January 20, 1999 INTRODUCTION We identified Bax inhibitor-1, BI-1, as a developmen- tally regulated gene product in perinatal lung using A dramatic reorganization occurs as the lung is trans- suppressive subtractive hybridization. BI-1 is a novel formed from a organ of secretion to one of gas exchange suppressor of apoptosis that was previously cloned as near the end of gestation. The developmental program testis-enhanced gene transcript (TEGT). However, se- that orchestrates this process is initiated in the fetus quence analysis of lung BI-1 revealed unique nucleo- and, in most mammals, extends into the postnatal tides starting 29 bases upstream of the ATG initiation period. While the structural and cellular features of this codon and extending to the 5* end of lung-derived BI-1 transition have been well described, the genes involved cDNA compared to the original transcript from the remain poorly defined. Hence we used suppression sub- testis. Cloning and sequencing of the upstream region tractive hybridization (Diatchenko et al., 1996) to iden- of the BI-1 gene revealed that these unique sequences tify developmentally regulated genes in the perinatal originated from two alternative first exons, located in lung and found the testis-enhanced gene transcript, tandem and separated by ;600 bases. Neither was pre- TEGT, to be up-regulated in the perinatal period. The ceded by a TATA box in the usual position, and S1 function of this gene was unknown, until recently, nuclease mapping at each exon 1 revealed multiple when it was shown to be identical with a newly defined transcription start points with a major site being over- mammalian suppressor of apoptosis termed Bax inhib- lapped by a consensus initiator element. Promoter ac- itor-1, BI-1 (Xu and Reed, 1998). Recent studies have tivity from each region was documented by transient also shown that a period of intense cellular apoptosis transfection analysis in vitro using DNA sequences occurs in the perinatal lung, particularly in mesenchy- ligated to a reporter gene. The proximal promoter, P1, mal cells (Kresch et al., 1998). We noted that lung BI-1 may exhibit cell type-specific differences in fibroblasts cDNA differed from the TEGT sequence in the litera- versus epithelia, whereas the distal promoter, P2, may ture and decided to characterize the rat BI-1 gene exhibit species-specific differences in rat versus hu- further. Herein we identify two tandem BI-1 promot- man cells. RT-PCR analysis for expression in adult * * ers, P1 and P2, map their respective transcription start tissues using exon 1-specific 5 primers and common 3 points, and demonstrate their differential activity in primers revealed that P1 is tissue-specific; P2 is ubiq- 2 1 vitro. Both appear to be TATA Inr promoters, but the uitously active. The developmental regulation of BI-1 proximal one, P1, has tissue-specific activity in vivo. in the late fetal and early postnatal lung is specific for The distal promoter, P2, is active in a ubiquitous fash- P2, indicating that these two TATA-less promoters are ion but developmentally regulated in the lung during differentially regulated in adult testis and developing the perinatal period. We speculate that this gene may lung. Since Bax inhibitor-1 functions as a suppressor of apoptosis, its expression could provide a survival play a key role in lung cell survival at birth. advantage for select cell populations during the peak period of apoptosis that occurs at birth. © 1999 Academic MATERIALS AND METHODS Press Materials and probes. Tri-Reagent (Molecular Research Center, Inc., Cincinnati, OH) and QIAamp Tissue Kit (Qiagen, Germany) were used according to the manufacturer’s protocol to isolate total RNA and genomic DNA, respectively. Electrophoresis-grade agarose was from International Biotechnologies, Inc. (New Haven, CT), and Sequence data from this article have been deposited with the DNA standards were from BRL. X-OMAT film for radiography was EMBL/GenBank Data Libraries under Accession No. AF118564. from The Eastman Kodak Co. (Rochester, NY). [a-32P]CTP, 800 Ci/ 1 To whom correspondence should be addressed at The Pulmonary mmol, was from ICN (Irvine, CA). The pGL3-basic vector and pGL3- Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 715 Albany Street, promoter vector were obtained from Promega (Madison, WI). Plas- R304, Boston, MA 02118-2394. Telephone: (617) 638-4860. Fax: (617) mid constructs were prepared, and the b-galactosidase assay was 536-8093. E-mail: [email protected]. performed as previously described (Joyce-Brady et al., 1996). The 201 0888-7543/99 $30.00 Copyright © 1999 by Academic Press All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. 202 JEAN, OAKES, AND JOYCE-BRADY substrate buffer for the luciferase assay was obtained from Boeh- nary Center at Boston University School of Medicine, and 20-3 cells ringer Mannheim. The PCR primers for b-actin are exactly as de- were an equally generous gift of Dr. Roy Levine at Cornell Veteri- scribed in Joyce-Brady et al. (1994). These were used to monitor nary School (Ithaca, NY). All cells were maintained with MEM mRNA integrity during PCR and to generate an actin cDNA probe to supplemented with 10% FCS. Transfection was performed by elec- do the same for Northern experiments. Primer synthesis and nucle- troporation using subconfluent cells. These were suspended at 2–6 3 otide sequencing were performed at the DNA–Protein Core facility of 106 cells/ml in serum-free RPMI medium with 10 mM dextrose and Boston University School of Medicine. 0.1 mM dithiothreitol, combined with 15 mg of plasmid DNA (13 mg BI-1-luciferase, 2 mg of CMV-b-galactosidase) in a 400-ml volume in Isolation and characterization of rat lung BI-1 clones. The sup- a 0.4-cm gene pulser cuvette (Bio-Rad) and exposed to a single- pression subtractive hybridization analysis of prenatal and perinatal voltage pulse at 300 V, 960 mF at room temperature using a Bio-Rad lung will be described in detail elsewhere. Briefly, this was carried Gene pulser transfection apparatus (Graham and Van Der Eb, 1973). out exactly as described by Diatchenko et al. (1996). We used 1 The cells were incubated for 10 min at 23°C before being plated and poly(A) mRNA from 1.5-day-old lung as the tester and 20-day fetal were then harvested and assayed for reporter gene activity 40–48 h lung as the driver. PCR products were cloned into the TA vector later. Each transfection experiment was repeated at least three (InVitrogen, San Diego, CA), sequenced, and analyzed using the times. In all transfection experiments the promoterless-luciferase BLASTN program at the National Center for Biotechnology Infor- construct, pGL3-Basic, was examined as a negative control, and the mation (Altschul et al., 1990). We identified three independent clones SV40 promoter-luciferase construct, pGL3-SV40, was examined as of rat BI-1. the positive control. The luciferase assay was performed according to 59 RACE and genomic cloning. The 59 end of our lung-derived the manufacturer’s guidelines. Cotransfection with a CMV-b-galac- BI-1 transcript was cloned by 59 RACE using the Marathon cDNA tosidase construct was used to correct for transfection efficiency. This Amplification Kit according to the manufacturer’s instructions (Clon- assay was performed as described in Joyce-Brady et al. (1996). 1 tech, Palo Alto, CA). Poly(A) RNA was isolated from the lung, RNA analysis. The Northern blot method is described in detail in reverse transcribed, and amplified in a primary PCR with adaptor Oakes et al. (1997). Briefly, total RNA was isolated from various primer 1 (AP-1) and BI-1 primer BI-2, CAGGGCAGAGAGCAGGC- tissues, quantitated, electrophoresed on a 1.0% agarose gel, trans- CAGCCTG, followed by a secondary reaction with AP1 and BI-6, ferred to a HyBond membrane, and cross-linked with a Stratagene GCTGCTGTGTGGAGGGAGTTATGTGG, and the products were UV cross-linker. The membrane was prehybridized, incubated with cloned and sequenced. Upstream BI-1 genomic DNA was amplified [a-32P]CTP radiolabeled probe, washed, and dried. Absolute counts in two sequential PCRs with BI-5, GAGGGCATCAAAGTTGATCT- were measured on a Packard Instrument Image Analyzer (Downer’s 9 TCCG, as the 3 primer in each reaction and BI-12, CAGAGCA- Grove, IL), and then the filter was exposed to Kodak X-OMAT film. CATCCGGTTTTAGCCG, and BI-10, GCGGGGAAGCTCCGAAGA- The absolute counts were used to determine relative levels of mRNA 9 GGTGGGC, as the 5 primers for primary and secondary PCR, re- expression. The RT-PCR is described in detail in Joyce-Brady et al. spectively, followed by cloning and sequencing. Additional upstream (1994). PCR primers were selected for each PCR, which was per- genomic DNA was amplified by using the GenomeWalker Kit accord- formed for 30 cycles on a MJ Research thermal cycler. PCR products ing to the manufacturer’s directions (Clontech) with adaptor prim- were isolated by agarose gel electrophoresis, eluted, cloned, and er-1 (AP-1) and BI-1 primer BI-13, CGGAGCAGACTTTGGGGCT- sequenced. The primers for P1-derived BI-1 cDNA were AGGT- CACC, in the primary PCR and adaptor primer-2 (AP-2) and BI-16, GAGAAGCCCCGAGCTTGGCC and GCTGCTGTGTGGAGGGAGT- ACCTCGGCCTCTACCGTTGGCTTC, in the secondary PCR. A sec- TATGTGG for the 59 and 39 ends, respectively. The primers for P2 ond genomic walk was performed using AP-1 and BI-20, ACT- were TCCGAAGAGGTGGGCTAAGAAGCG and CAGGGCAGAGA- GAAATCACAAGTACAGAATG, and then AP-2 and BI-19, CA- GCAGGCCAGCCTG.