E1A-responsive elements for repression of rat fibronectin gene transcription.

The level of fibronectin (FN) gene transcription in resting rat 3Y1 cells is very high but decreases steeply after growth stimulation by serum or by the induction of E1A expression. To study the mechanism of this E1A-mediated down-regulation, the 5' flanking regions of the FN gene with various deletions and substitutions were fused to the Escherichia coli chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene and introduced into resting 3Y1 cells with E1A expression plasmids. The results indicate that the G10 stretch located from nucleotide position -239 to -230 and two GC boxes from position -105 to -95 and position -54 to -44 are the primary E1A-responsive elements for repression of the FN gene. Two GC boxes also contain a G10 stretch that is interrupted by the presence of an internal C residue. These sequences overlap with the Sp1 motif GGGCGG. Substitution of the sequence GGGG with ATCC or CTTA in these G-rich sequences, leaving the Sp1 motif intact, completely abolished the E1A sensitivity of the promoter. Analysis of the E1A domains by using various E1A deletion mutants indicated that the domain for binding to the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product (RB) is essential for efficient repression. These results suggest that the gene encoding a negative factor(s) binding to the three G-rich sequences in the FN promoter is repressed by RB in resting 3Y1 cells and derepressed by expression of E1A.