Structure of the human gene for alpha-enolase

In mammals there are at least three isoforms of the glycolytic enzyme enolase encoded by three similar genes: alpha, beta and gamma. In this report we describe the isolation and characterization of the human alpha-enolase locus. The gene appears to exist as a single copy in the haploid genome and is composed of 12 exons distributed over more than 18,000 bases. The structure of this gene has a high degree of similarity to that of the human and rat gamma-enolase genes, with identical positions for all the intron regions. Primer extension and S1 nuclease protection experiments indicate that transcription is initiated at multiple sites. The putative promoter region, like that of other house-keeping genes, lacks canonical TATA and CAAT boxes, is extremely G + C-rich and contains several potential SP1 binding sites. Furthermore, various sequences similar to known regulatory elements were detected.