Different cis-acting DNA elements control expression of the human apolipoprotein AI gene in different cell types

In mammals, the gene coding for apolipoprotein AI (apoAI), a protein of the plasma lipid transport system, is expressed only in the liver and the intestine. A series of plasmids containing various lengths of sequences flanking the 5' end of the human apoAI gene were constructed and assayed for transient expression after introduction into cultured human hepatoma (HepG2), colon carcinoma (Caco-2), and epithelial (HeLa) cells. The results showed that while most of these constructs are expressed in HepG2 and Caco-2 cells, none of them is expressed in HeLa cells. In addition, the results indicated that a DNA segment located between nucleotides -256 and -41 upstream from the transcription start site of this gene is necessary and sufficient for maximal levels of expression in HepG2 but not in Caco-2 cells, while a DNA segment located between nucleotides -2052 and -192 is required for maximal levels of expression in Caco-2 cells. Moreover, it was shown that the -256 to -41 DNA segment functions as a hepatoma cell-specific transcriptional enhancer with both homologous and heterologous promoters. These results indicate that different cis- and possibly trans-acting factors are involved in the establishment and subsequent regulation of expression of the apoAI gene in the mammalian liver and intestine.