Transcriptional regulation of laminin gene expression

Laminins are the most abundant structural non-collagenous glycoproteins ubi quitously present in basement membranes. They are multidomain molecules con sisting of of alpha, beta, and gamma chains. Although the precise functiona l differences between the laminin variants are not well understood, the div ersity of laminin isoforms may reflect the formation of distinct basement m embranes. The laminins display a remarkable restricted expression profile, suggesting a fine regulation of their genes. In this review, we focus on th e most recent developments of laminin biology, centering on transcriptional and posttranscriptional controls. We discuss only those laminin chains who se gene organization and promoter elements have been characterized and prov ed to be functional. When possible, we correlate the effects of growth fact ors, cytokines, retinoids, and transcription factors on laminin gene expres sion with the identity of cis-acting elements in their genomic control regi ons. Microsc. Res. Tech. 51:228-237, 2000. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.