Common protein-binding sites in the 5'-flanking regions of human genes for cytochrome c1 and ubiquinone-binding protein.

The single nuclear gene encoding human ubiquinone-binding protein, a subunit of the cytochrome bc1 complex, was isolated previously (Suzuki, H., Hosokawa, Y., Toda, H., Nishikimi, M., and Ozawa, T. (1989) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 161, 371-378). The 5'-flanking region contains four putative CCAAT boxes, one putative NF-Y-binding site, and one sequence homologous to the AP-1 recognition site, but lacks typical TATA and GC boxes. Three common nucleotide sequences (5'-TATTCAGGT-3', 5'-ATCTGGCT-3', and 5'-TGGTGA(T/G)AG-3', designated Mt1, Mt3, and Mt4, respectively) were found in the 5'-flanking regions of the genes for human ubiquinone-binding protein and for human cytochrome c1, another subunit of the cytochrome bc1 complex. All three sequences are located in the 280-base pair BamHI-HindIII fragment of the ubiquinone-binding protein gene and in the 154-base pair SalI-PstI fragment of the cytochrome c1 gene. Interestingly, a computer-assisted homology search revealed that the SalI-PstI fragment of the cytochrome c1 gene is related to the long terminal repeat of an endogenous retrovirus. Sequences highly homologous to the three Mt-sequences were also found in the 5'-flanking regions of the genes for the beta subunit of human F0F1-ATPase and rat somatic cytochrome c. The Mt1 sequence (TATT-CAGGT) is similar to the GFII recognition site (RTCACGTG) found in the 5'-flanking regions of the yeast nuclear genes for three cytochrome bc1 complex subunits. Gel retardation assay demonstrated that protein factors in a whole HeLa cell extract bound to both of those fragments. At least three different specific binding sites were thought to exist in the fragments. Specific binding of the protein factors to the sites, possibly to the three Mt sequences, may play an important role in the coordinate regulation of the transcription of nuclear genes encoding subunits responsible for mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation.