K. Mesa et al., IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ZINC-FINGER ENCODING GENES FROM THE TUMORAL EXOCRINE PANCREATIC-CELL LINE AR42J, Cancer letters, 103(2), 1996, pp. 143-149
Zinc finger transcription factors are DNA-binding proteins that are kn
own to determine the identity of cells by regulating cell-specific gen
e expression. In addition, mutations in some members of this family ha
ve been found to be associated with several neoplasias, including Wilm
s' tumor and leukemias. Because the mechanisms that regulate normal, a
s well as neoplastic, pancreatic cell differentiation are poorly under
stood, we are searching for pancreas-enriched transcription factors th
at may determine the identity of pancreatic cells. Towards this end, w
e have used the polymerase chain reaction and degenerate primers again
st the highly conserved (Cys(2)-His(2)) zinc finger domain to amplify
novel transcription factor encoding cDNAs from the well-characterized
pancreatic acinar cell line AR42J. Using this approach, we have identi
fied 17 different zinc finger encoding cDNAs (AZF-1 to -17). Sequence
analysis shows that all of these clones encode for different zinc fing
er peptides which share the consensus DNA binding motif with the Droso
phila transcription factor kruppel. As a first step in the characteriz
ation of these genes, the purified PCR products were used to determine
their spatial pattern of expression by northern blot analysis. Using
these techniques, we find that numerous zinc finger encoding genes are
expressed in AR42J acinar cells as well as in normal adult rat pancre
as and suggest that they may play a role as transcription factors in e
xocrine pancreatic cells.