Molecular cloning of TPAR1, a gene whose expression is repressed by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA).

We previously isolated a partial cDNA sequence, termed TPAR1 (TPA repressed gene 1), from a cDNA library constructed from C3H10T1/2 mouse embryo fibroblasts treated with TPA, using a differential screening procedure. (M.D. Johnson et al. Mol. Cell. Biol. 7, 2821-2829, 1987). In the present study, we have cloned two corresponding full-length 1.9- and 3.4-kb cDNAs of TPAR1 from murine cDNA libraries. Sequence analysis of these TPAR1 cDNAs revealed that they encode 89 and 93 amino acid polypeptides, respectively, with a putative leader sequence and show significant homology with the human cytokine interleukin-8 (IL-8) and its superfamily. Genomic DNA isolation and structural characterization provide evidence that the TPAR1 mRNAs are transcribed from a single gene with alternative splicing. TPAR1 mRNAs are expressed ubiquitously among adult mouse tissues as three major transcripts, 1.9, 3.4, and 6.5 kb, whose expression depends on the tissue type. The levels of TPAR1 mRNAs were markedly decreased in fibroblasts following TPA treatment and also in serum-deprived quiescent fibroblasts stimulated by serum. The levels of TPAR1 mRNAs were dramatically down-regulated in regenerating rat liver when compared to normal adult liver. In addition, there was no detectable expression of TPAR1 in three rat hepatoma cell lines and several transformed fibroblast cell lines. Thus, the TPAR1 gene is a new member of the cytokine IL-8 superfamily, whose expression is down-regulated in rapidly dividing cells. Further studies are required to determine whether it plays a negative role in controlling cell proliferation and tumorigenesis.