Multiple potential regulatory elements in the 5' flanking region of the human alpha 1a-adrenergic receptor

In spite of their critical importance in myocardial hypertrophy and benign prostatic hyperplasia, nothing is known about mechanisms underlying transcriptional regulation of alpha 1a-adrenergic receptors (alpha 1aARs). Therefore we cloned 6.2 kb of novel sequence upstream of the initiator ATG in the human alpha 1aAR gene. Sequence analysis reveals a TATA-less promoter, the presence of several initiator (Inr) consensus sequences, multiple GC rich regions consistent with Sp-1 binding, and consensus sequences for AP-1 and AP-2 as well as putative cis transcriptional regulatory elements for binding of CREB (cyclic-AMP response element binding protein), glucocorticoids, estrogen, and insulin. Compared to the alpha 1bAR, the alpha 1aAR has several more cis regulatory elements, suggesting more complex regulation. The importance of alpha 1aARs in human disease makes it imperative to determine mechanisms underlying transcription and ultimately expression of this receptor. These studies can now be undertaken with the availability of human alpha 1aAR 5'-flanking and 5'-untranslated sequence.