A bipartite suppressor: conjunction of two distinct factor-binding sites is essential for down-regulation in rat epoxide hydrolase gene expression.

We describe a novel transcriptional suppressor element found in the control region of the gene that encodes rat microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH), an inducible xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme. This element consists of the juxtaposition of two distinct factor-binding regions. The first region is composed of a series of five tandemly repeated factor-binding sequences, and the second region is an unique AT-rich factor-binding sequence. Although each region binds its cognate factor(s) in vitro, a single region does not function as a suppressor independently of the other. Transcriptional suppression was observed only when the two regions were combined. Thus, we propose that this regulatory element is a bipartite suppressor, requiring two distinct factor-binding regions for its function. The element displayed position-independent but orientation-dependent suppressor activity. The level of suppressor activity was proportional to the number of repetitive sites in region 1. We speculate that this region could mediate the dose-response behavior of mEH gene expression induced by chemical carcinogens in vivo. A qualitative difference in the region 2 binding factor(s) was observed between normal liver cells and a hepatoma cell line or carcinogen-treated liver cells. The possible relationship between this observation and the deregulation of mEH gene expression during the course of hepatocarcinogenesis is discussed.