Promoter characterization of the mouse melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1

The gene encoding the mouse melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 was isolated and its structural organization and flanking regions were characterized. The 3' flanking region is marked by the presence of two polyadenylation signals but used with different frequencies. RNase protection and 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) identified multiple transcription initiation sites between -150 and -203 bp upstream of the ATG initiation codon. Functional analysis of deletion mutants reveals a cell independent transcriptional activity localized between nucleotide -305 and -589. The proximal 1.5 kb region does not possess consensus TATA or CAAT boxes but has several consensus sequences for regulatory elements including USF, GATA, AP1, AP4, MyoD, GKLF and Ikaros that could explain the broad expression of the receptor.