The Wilms' tumour suppressor protein (WT1) is a putative transcription
al regulatory protein with four zinc fingers, the last three of which
have extensive sequence homology to the early growth response-1 (EGR-1
) protein. Although a peptide encoding the zinc finger domain of WT1[-
KTS] can bind to a consensus 9 bp EGR-1 binding site, current knowledg
e about the mechanisms of zinc finger-DNA interactions would predict a
more extended recognition site for WT1. Using a WT1[-KTS] zinc finger
peptide (WT1-ZFP) and the template oligonucleotide GCG-TGG-GCG-NNNNN
in a binding site selection assay, we have determined that the highest
affinity binding sites for WT1[-KTS] consist of a 12 bp sequence GCG-
TGG-GCG-(T/G)(G/ A/T)(T/G). The binding of WT1-ZFP to a number of the
selected sequences was measured by a quantitative nitrocellulose filte
r binding assay, and the results demonstrated that these sequences hav
e a 4-fold higher affinity for the protein than the nonselected sequen
ce GCG-TGG-GCG-CCC. The full length WT1 protein regulates transcriptio
n of reporter genes linked to these high affinity sequences. A peptide
lacking the first zinc finger of WT1[-KTS], but containing the three
zinc fingers homologous to EGR-1 failed to select any specific sequenc
es downstream of the GCG-TGG-GCG consensus sequence in the binding sit
e selection assay. DNA sequences in the fetal promoter of the insulin-
like growth factor II gene that confer WT1 responsiveness in a transie
nt transfection assay bind to the WT1-ZFP with affinities that vary ac
cording to the number of consensus bases each sequence possesses in th
e finger 1 subsite.