THE EFFECT OF RETINOIC ACID ON THE ACTIVATION OF THE HUMAN H19 PROMOTER BY A 3' DOWNSTREAM REGION

The human H19 is paternally imprinted (maternally expressed). It is tr anscribed by RNA pol II, but has no protein product. Its function is u nknown. We showed that the transcription of the human H19 gene is unde r the simultaneous control of both a 5' upstream (promoter) region and a 3' downstream region in cell lines derived from human choriocarcino mas. Moreover, the activation of the H19 promoter by retinoic acid in cells derived from human testicular germ cell tumors is dependent upon the 3' downstream region. The possibility that the action of retinoic acid on the H19 promoter is an indirect one and involves a member of the AP2 transcription factor family is discussed. (C) 1998 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.