Identification of a cAMP regulatory region in the gene for rat cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP). Use of chimeric genes transfected into hepatoma cells.

cAMP stimulates the transcription of the gene for the cytosolic form of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) (EC 4.1.1.32) (PEPCK) in rat liver. We have investigated the nucleotide sequences required for regulation of PEPCK gene expression by cAMP. A chimeric gene was constructed in which a 620-base pair fragment of the 5'-end of the PEPCK gene (including 547 base pairs of 5'-flanking sequence) was ligated to the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK) structural gene. The PEPCK promoter fragment was introduced either in the proper orientation for transcription of the TK gene or in the opposite orientation. These fusion genes and the parent vector, pOPF, which contains the intact TK gene, were transfected individually into TK-deficient FTO-2B rat hepatoma cells. FTO-2B cells contain an active endogenous PEPCK gene which is stimulated by cAMP. Cells were selected in HAT medium and grown either as mass cell cultures or as individual clones. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (Bt2cAMP) plus theophylline (16 h) stimulated TK activity 1.6-6.1-fold in cell lines transfected with the PEPCK-TK fusion gene containing the PEPCK promoter fragment in the correct orientation. However, the intact TK gene was not induced by Bt2cAMP after transfection, nor was there any expression of the PEPCK-TK fusion gene in cells which contained the PEPCK promoter fragment in the wrong transcriptional orientation. Bt2cAMP also increased the levels of TK mRNA in cells transfected with the PEPCK-TK fusion gene, but not in cells transfected with the intact TK gene. The chimeric PEPCK-TK mRNA initiated at the PEPCK start site, as determined by S1 nuclease mapping. There was no relationship between the number of copies of the PEPCK-TK gene integrated in the various cell lines and either the basal level of TK activity or its inducibility of Bt2cAMP.