The human medium chain Acyl-CoA dehydrogenase gene promoter consists of a complex arrangement of nuclear receptor response elements and Sp1 binding sites.

Expression of the gene encoding the mitochondrial fatty acid. beta-oxidation enzyme, medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD), is regulated among tissues during development and in response to alterations in substrate availability. To identify and characterize cis-acting MCAD gene promoter regulatory elements and corresponding transcription factors, DNA-protein binding studies and mammalian cell transfection analyses were performed with hjman MCAD gene promoter fragments. DNA:protein binding studies with nuclear protein extracts prepared from hepatoma G2 cells, 3T3 fibroblasts, or Y-1 adrenal tumor cells identified three sequences (nuclear receptor response element 1 or NRRE-1, NRRE-2, and NRRE-3) that bind orphan members of the steroid/thyroid nuclear receptor superfamily including chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor and steroidogenic factor 1. Sp1 binding sites (A-C) were identified in close proximity to each of the NRREs. NRRE-3 conferred cell line-specific transcriptional repression by interacting with chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcription factor or activation via steroidogenic factor 1. In contrast, the Sp1 binding site A behaved as a transcriptional activator in all cell lines examined. We propose that multiple nuclear receptor transcription factors interact with MCAD gene promoter elements to differentially regulate transcription among a variety of cell types.