Functional analysis of the human cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) gene enhancer

The environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD or dioxin) induces gene transcription, a process that requires binding of the activated aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) to dioxin-responsive elements (DREs) within the enhancer region of responsive genes. Most of what is known about the molecular mechanism of AhR-dependent gene activation results from studies on the murine prototype TCDD-responsive gene cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1). Much less is known, however, about the regulation of human TCDD-responsive genes. We have therefore conducted a detailed analysis of the enhancer region of the human CYP1A1 gene. From the ten DRE core motifs investigated within a stretch of 1400 bp in two human tumor cell lines using a ligation-mediated PCR technique, five motifs displayed a TCDD-inducible in vivo footprint. Four of these sites were functional enhancer sequences as demonstrated by a transient expression assay. Based on these data, a distinct functional consensus sequence for DRE motifs within the human CYP1A1 gene is suggested. After introduction of the four functional sites into various mouse hepatoma cell lines, only three exhibited a functional response, suggesting some species differences in CYP1A1 gene regulation. In addition to the footprints at DRE sites, we also detected protein-DNA interactions at three G-rich domains located within the enhancer region of the human CYP1A1 gene. Our data show that, besides some similarities in the regulation of the human and mouse CYP1A1 genes, there also exist some distinct differences, including number, location, and functional consensus sequences of DRE motifs, as well as quantity and location of footprinted G-rich domains.