Hemoglobin synthesis consumes most of the iron that is taken up by cells fr
om plasma transferrin, and this process requires very high expression of tr
ansferrin receptors (TfR) at the membranes of erythroid cells. Studies in o
ur and other laboratories indicate that a dramatic increase in TfR levels d
uring erythroid differentiation occurs at the transcriptional level. In thi
s study, we investigated the transcriptional regulation of the TfR in terms
of its promoter activity and DNA-protein binding in murine erythroleukemia
cells. Reporter gene assays revealed that the TfR promoter activity was st
imulated 6-8-fold in murine erythroleukemia cells induced to differentiate
into hemoglobin-synthesizing cells by either Me2SO or N,N'-hexamethylene-bi
s-acetamide, A minimal region (-118 to +14) was required for the differenti
ation-induced promoter activity. Mutation of either an Ets-binding site or
an activator protein-1/cyclic AMP-response element-like motif within this r
egion, but not disruption of the adjacent GC-rich/specificity protein-1 seq
uence, inhibited the inducible promoter activity. Electrophoresis mobility
shift assays suggest that the cyclic AMP-response element-binding proteins/
activating transcription factor-like factors and Ets-like factors bind cons
titutively to this bipartite element. Upon induction of differentiation, a
shift in the pattern of the cyclic AMP-response element-binding protein/act
ivating transcription factor-like binding factors was observed. Our data in
dicate that the TfR gene promoter contains an erythroid active element that
stimulates the receptor gene transcription upon induction of hemoglobin sy
nthesis.