Jp. Kahlen et C. Carlberg, FUNCTIONAL-CHARACTERIZATION OF A 1.25-DIHYDROXYVITAMIN D-3 RECEPTOR-BINDING SITE FOUND IN THE RAT ATRIAL-NATRIURETIC-FACTOR PROMOTER, Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 218(3), 1996, pp. 882-886
The classical action of the hormone 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 (VD) is
the regulation of calcium metabolism. In contrast, the peptide hormone
atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) is one of the few known nonclassical
VD responding genes. We screened the promoter of the rat ANF gene and
identified a typical VD receptor (VDR) binding site formed by a direct
repeat of two hexameric core binding motifs spaced by three nucleotid
es, between positions -907 and -891. Like most of the DR3-type VD resp
onse elements this sequence is bound with high affinity (K-d = 0.53 nM
) by a heterodimer formed by VDR and retinoid X receptor. In a heterol
ogous promoter context one copy of this sequence mediated an about fou
rfold gene activation by VD and a half-maximal activation (EC(50)) val
ue of 0.48 nM VD. This characterizes the identified sequence as one of
the most potent VD response elements. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.