Inducible preproenkephalin DNA binding proteins in the rat striatum

The molecular manifestation of whole animal and cellular adaptive responses results from stimulus-secretion-synthesis coupling to selected genes. Effects are mediated through receptor-linked, signal-transduction pathways involving trans-acting nuclear proteins binding to cis-acting DNA regulatory elements. In the current report we have identified those striatal nuclear factors that footprint to the 5' region of the rat preproenkephalin (ppEnk) gene and how they change following ppEnk induction. These studies demonstrate binding of Spl-like factors, as well as members of the Jun and Fos families of proteins. Unique footprints were also noted in the ppEnk-induced state in the region of GGTGGGGGAGCCTCCGG (-91 to -175) overlapping the consensus binding site for the brain-specific transcription factor beta; a functional DNA element for the rat ppEnk gene. These observations illustrate that DNA-protein interactions both before and after gene induction can be resolved even in complex primary structures of the central nervous system.