Characterization of the Promoter of SF-1, an Orphan Nuclear Receptor Required for Adrenal and Gonadal Development

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Abstract
Steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1) is a transcription fac- tor shown to be critical for regulation of adrenal and gonadal development and function. To dissect the mechanisms that direct expression of this reg- ulator, we have studied the promoter of the SF-1 gene and have identified cis-acting elements that recognize a basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factor; the CAAT binding factor; and Sp1. We dem- onstrate in Y1 adrenocortical cells that a 90-bp proximal promoter fragment is sufficient to direct steroidogenic-specific expression and that all three elements are required for activity of the SF-1 promoter. Functional analysis of the binding sites on a heterologous TATA box-containing promoter demonstrates that the CAAT box and Sp1 site are not essential for promoter activity when a TATA box is present, whereas the E box is absolutely required for gene expression and is most likely the steroidogenic cell-specific element. We also dem- onstrate that SF-1 itself does not significantly af- fect the transcription of its own gene, and thus conclude that the E box, CAAT box, and Sp1 site of the proximal promoter direct expression of the SF-1 gene. (Molecular Endocrinology 11: 117-126, 1997)

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