Cloning and characterization of the mouse histone H1(0) promoter region

From a mouse genomic DNA library we have isolated sequences containing the entire coding region for histone H1(0) mRNA, flanked by several kb at both the 3' and 5' ends. Deletions of the 5' upstream region ligated to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT)-encoding gene as a reporter, have shown that a region from bp -400 to -600 is necessary and sufficient for efficient transcription. We have also shown that treatment of F9 teratocarcinoma cells with retinoic acid and cyclic AMP (which differentiates F9 cells to parietal endoderm) clearly increases CAT activity several times over the level found in untreated F9 cells. This increase was observed in transient, as well as in stably transfected cells. Analysis of the deletions in differentiating cells indicates that the element responsible for the observed increase in CAT activity, is contained within the first 700 bp upstream from the H1(0) mRNA cap site.