The promoter of the CD11b gene directs myeloid-specific and developmentally regulated expression

Human CD11b/CD18 (complement receptor type 3) is a member of the beta 2 integrin subfamily which also includes the heterodimers CD11a/CD18 and CD11c/CD18. The CD11 molecules and the common CD18 are the products of different genes that exhibit distinct though overlapping patterns of tissue- and developmental-specific expression. Whereas expression of CD11b and CD11c is almost exclusively restricted to cells of the myeloid lineage, that of CD11a and CD18 is panleukocytic. To begin to understand the mechanisms by which expression of these gene products is restricted to leukocytes and leukocyte subpopulations and to elucidate the mechanisms by which their expression is coordinated, we have cloned and characterized the promoter region of the CD11b gene. A single transcription initiation site has been identified and the region extending 242 base pairs upstream and 71 base pairs downstream of this site has been shown to be sufficient to direct tissue-, cell-, and development-specific expression in vitro, which mimics that of the CD11b gene in vivo. Within this region there are potential binding sites for transcription factors known to be involved in hematopoietic-specific and phorbol ester-inducible gene expression. Further analysis of this region of the CD11b gene and comparison with the promoters of the CD11a, CD11c, and CD18 genes should lead to significant insights into the molecular mechanisms by which these genes are regulated during hematopoietic development and upon activation.