Shared regulatory elements in the promoters of MHC class I and class II genes

✍ Scribed by Peter J van den Elsen; Ad Peijnenburg; Marja C.J.A van Eggermond; Sam J.P Gobin

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 432 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0167-5699
• DOI: 10.1016/s0167-5699(98)01287-0

✦ Synopsis

ranscription of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II genes is controlled by a number of transcription factors that interact with a set of conserved cisacting regulatory elements within the promoter region of MHC class II genes. These regulatory sequences include the W/S, X1, X2 and Y-box elements, and are important for both the constitutive and the interferon-␥ (IFN-␥)-induced expression of MHC class II genes (reviewed in Ref. 1) (Fig. ). A number of DNA-binding proteins bind to these conserved sequences including the RFX complex, which binds to the X1 box; X2BP, which binds to the X2 box; and NF-Y, which binds to the Y box (reviewed in Ref. 1). There are several lines of evidence to suggest a mutual interdependency of the transcription factors RFX, X2BP and NF-Y in the formation of DNA-protein complexes on the W/S-X-Y region in the MHC class II promoter 2 .

Likewise, a series of conserved DNA sequences in the MHC class I gene promoter play a crucial role in the constitutive and cytokineinduced regulation of transcription (reviewed in Ref. 3). They include the enhancer A (enhA), the IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE), site ␣ and enhancer B (enhB) (Fig. ). These regulatory elements map within the first 250 base pairs (bp) of the MHC class II and class I promoters, immediately upstream of the transcription initiation site.