Human amiloride-sensitive epithelial Na+ channel gamma subunit promoter: functional analysis and identification of a polypurine-polypyrimidine tract with the potential for tripler DNA formation

The mRNA for the epithelial Na+ channel gamma subunit (gamma ENaC) is regul ated developmentally in the lung, colon and distal nephron and in response to Na+ deprivation and systemic corticosteroids in the distal colon. Becaus e such regulation is likely to be at the level of gene transcription, we ex amined the function of the promoter and other 5' Banking elements of the hu man gamma ENaC gene. The proximal 5' flanking region contains two GC boxes but does not contain a TATA box, A 450 bp human gamma ENaC fragment (-459 t o + 40) directed the expression of luciferase in H441 cells and primer exte nsion analysis in transfected cells confirmed the correct initiation of hum an gamma ENaC-luciferase chimaeric transcripts. By deletional analysis, GC boxes at -21 and -52 were found to be critical for this promoter activity. To begin to identify transcription factors that bind to the core promoter, a double-stranded oligonucleotide that corresponded to this region was synt hesized and tested in a gel mobility-shift assay. Incubation of this radiol abelled oligonucleotide with nuclear extracts from H441 and FRTL5 cells res ulted in the formation of four specific and distinct DNA-protein complexes. On the basis of antibody 'supershift' assays, one of these factors corresp onds to Spl, whereas the other three correspond to Sp3. Further upstream, a n approx. 300 nt (-1143 to -839) polypurinepolypyrimidine tract (PPy tract) containing internal mirror repeats was identified. When contained in a sup ercoiled plasmid, the approx. 1200nt 5' flanking region was sensitive to S1 endonuclease, which was consistent with the formation of an intramolecular tripler DNA ('H-DNA') structure with an unpaired single strand. High-resol ution mapping with S1 endonuclease and sequencing of S1-generated clones co nfirmed that all SI-sensitive sites were within the PPy tract. Finally, a n egative regulatory element was identified between -1525 and -1296 that func tioned in lung, colon and collecting duct cell lines.