The collagenase gene promoter contains a TPA and oncogene-responsive unit encompassing the PEA3 and AP-1 binding sites.

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Abstract
PEA3 is a transcription factor which binds to the polyoma virus enhancer and whose activity is regulated by the expression of a number of oncogenes. We show here that PEA3 also binds specifically to the collagenase and fos cellular promoters. On the collagenase promoter, PEA3 acts synergistically with AP‐1 to achieve maximum levels of transcription activation by 12‐O‐tetradecanoylphorbol‐13‐acetate (TPA), and non‐nuclear oncoproteins, thereby defining a TPA‐ and oncogene‐responsive unit (TORU). From a comparative study of the collagenase TORU and the analogous polyoma virus TORU, we conclude that both the binding affinity of the PEA3 motif and the spacing between PEA3 and AP‐1 modulate transcription activation induced by oncogene expression.