The first untranslated exon of the human tenascin‐C gene plays a regulatory role in gene transcription

Abstract
The transcription of the human tenacin‐C (TN‐C) gene is directed by a single promoter. Here we demonstrate, in transiently transfected cells, that two distinct regions of the untranslated 179 bp‐long exon 1 play antagonistic roles in transcriptional regulation: bases from 1 to 20 strongly increase the transcription of the reporter gene CAT directed by the human TN‐C gene promoter, while bases from 79 to 179 significantly reduce this activation.