Concentration dependence of transcriptional transactivation in inducible E1A-containing human cells

The adenovirus E1A proteins are essential for the normal temporal activation of transcription from every other adenoviral early promoter. High-level E1A expression in the absence of viral infection would facilitate biochemical studies of E1A-mediated transactivation. Toward this end, we introduced the adenovirus type 2 E1A gene under the control of the murine mammary tumor virus promoter into HeLa cells. Uninduced cells expressed little or no detectable E1A mRNA. Upon induction, mRNA levels accumulated to about 50% of the level observed in 293 cells. The level of E1A expression in these cells could be controlled by varying the concentration of the inducing glucocorticoid. Under these conditions of varying E1A concentrations, it was observed that activation of the E2, E3, and E4 promoters of H5dl312 initiated at the same E1A concentration and that transcription from each promoter increased as the E1A concentration increased. These results indicate that E1A-mediated transactivation is proportional to the concentration of E1A protein. E1A-dependent transcriptional stimulation of the E4 promoter was reproduced in an in vitro transcription system, demonstrating that expression of only the E1A proteins was sufficient to increase the transcriptional activity of nuclear extracts.