AUTOREGULATION OF THE HUMAN WT1 GENE PROMOTER

The human Wilms tumour suppressor gene, WT1, encodes a zinc-finger pro tein which can function as a transcriptional activator or suppressor. This study reports the analysis of the human WT1 gene promoter, and de monstrates that high levels of WT1 expression lead to autosuppression of the WT1 promoter. Deletion analyses of the promoter region implicat e sequences 5' and 3' of the transcriptional start site as being cruci al in WT1 autosuppression. Loss or alteration of this function of WT1 may be important in tumourigenesis.