In vivo competition between a metallothionein regulatory element and the SV40 enhancer.

The human metallothionein-IIA (hMT-IIA) gene contains an enhancer element within its 5' regulatory region. This enhancer element can compete with the SV40 enhancer for one or more cellular factors in vivo. The competition between the two elements is modulated by cadmium, an inducer of hMT-IIA transcription. The data presented are consistent with a model in which heavy metal ions control the ability of the hMT-IIA enhancer to bind a positive factor, leading to increased transcription. The same factor is required for maximal activity of the SV40 enhancer, which suggests that viruses utilize factors that have a normal role in cellular gene expression to control their own genes.