Evidence that mouse promotion-sensitivity gene pro1 is transcribed by RNA polymerase III

The murine gene pro1 confers susceptibility to tumor promoters upon transfection into an insensitive host cell. Nucleotide analysis over a minimally active domain of 1049 bp reveals signals expected for a gene transcribed by RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). Similar analysis of the complementary strand shows intragenic signals characteristic of genes transcribed by RNA polymerase III (RNAPIII). We have previously characterized a small, pro1-homologous transcript that is constitutively expressed at lower levels in promotion-insensitive JB6 epidermal cells as compared to promotion-sensitive and transformed clonal variants. To identify whether the pro1 RNAPII or RNAPIII transcription unit encodes the pro1-homologous RNA, RNA probes specific for each of the predicted transcripts were generated. The RNA probe specific for the pro1 RNAPIII transcription unit was found to detect the pro1-hybridizing RNA. Ligating the pro1 RNAPII 5'-flanking region to an interferon gamma reporter sequence failed to induce synthesis of the reporter protein. In addition, pro1 transcripts generated from the predicted RNAPII and RNAPIII transcription units were untranslatable in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. These data are consistent with pro1 associated tumor promotion occurring not through an RNAPII intermediate, but through an RNAPIII intermediate.