Transcriptional activation of the zinc finger transcription factor BTEB2 gene by Egr-1 through mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in vascular smooth muscle cells.

We have recently demonstrated that a developmentally regulated zinc finger protein, basic transcription regulatory element binding protein 2 (BTEB2), is induced in neointimal smooth muscle in response to vascular injury. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms regulating BTEB2 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in vitro. BTEB2 mRNA expression is rapidly and persistently induced in SMCs by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and basic fibroblast growth factor. We have isolated and characterized the promoter region of the human BTEB2 gene to determine the regulatory network controlling expression of this gene in vascular SMCs. Functional studies on the BTEB2 promoter coupled to a luciferase reporter gene demonstrated activation of the promoter by PMA and basic fibroblast growth factor. Both characterization of DNA-protein complexes in vitro and site-specific mutation analysis of the BTEB2 promoter have defined a 9-bp sequence, 5'-CGCCCGCGC-3', located at -25, as the Egr-1 binding site mediating an induction of the BTEB2 promoter activity by PMA. In addition, we show that this site mediates inducible expression through the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. These results indicate that BTEB2 is a target of the early-response gene Egr-1, and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways directly or indirectly activate BTEB2 expression. Given a rapid induction of Egr-1 on stimulation with growth factors or injury, these findings may represent at least one of the molecular mechanisms underlying phenotypic modulation of smooth muscles after vascular injury.