The upstream promoter of the human LDL receptor gene does not contain a cyclic AMP response element

Fusion genes containing segments of the promoter region of the human LDL receptor gene and the coding sequence of the bacterial enzyme, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), were introduced into JEG-3 human choriocarcinoma cells. Constructs containing 177 base pairs of 5'-flanking DNA (pLDLR-CAT 234) or 6500 base pairs (pLDLR-CAT 6500) promoted CAT activity in transient expression assays. Although both pLDLR-CAT 234 and pLDLR-CAT 6500 contain sequences related to the recently reported consensus sequence for cyclic AMP responsiveness, treatment of the transfected JEG-3 cells with 8-bromo-cAMP did not increase CAT activity. The cyclic AMP analog did, however, stimulate steroidogenesis and hCG secretion and increase CAT activity in cells transfected with p18X2SV1CAT, which contains two copies of an 18 base pair sequence corresponding to the cAMP-responsive element of the human alpha chorionic gonadotropin gene.