ABSTRACT
We cloned the 5'-flanking region of the mouse homolog of the Delta gene (Dll1) and demonstrated that the sequence between nucleotide position -514 and -484 in the 5'-flanking region of Dll1 played a critical role in the regulation of its tissue-specific expression in neural stem cells (NSCs). Further, we showed that multiple POU-binding motifs, located within this short sequence of 30bp, were essential for transcriptional activation of Dll1 and also that multiple tissue-specific nuclear factors recognized these POU-binding motifs in various combinations through differentiation of NSCs. Thus, POU-binding factors may play an important role in Dll1 expression in developing NSCs.
Subject(s)
DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/physiology , Membrane Proteins/genetics , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Neurons/metabolism , Stem Cells/metabolism , Transcription Factors/genetics , Transcription Factors/metabolism , Animals , Base Sequence , Binding Sites , Body Patterning/physiology , Cell Line , Cloning, Molecular , Gene Deletion , Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins , Mice , Molecular Sequence Data , NIH 3T3 Cells , Nuclear Proteins/genetics , Nuclear Proteins/metabolism , POU Domain Factors , Protein Binding , Receptors, Notch , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Signal Transduction/physiology , Transcription, Genetic/geneticsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Autoimmune pancreatitis is a distinctive disease entity characterized by high serum immunoglobulin G4 concentrations. Because of the close association between some autoimmune diseases and particular alleles of major histocompatibility complex genes, we investigated the association between HLA alleles and autoimmune pancreatitis. METHODS: HLA-A, -B, -C, -DR, and -DQ gene typing and HLA-DRB1, -DQB1, and -DPB1 allele typing were performed by the polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primers method and the restriction fragment length polymorphism method, respectively, in 40 patients with autoimmune pancreatitis, 43 patients with chronic calcifying pancreatitis, and 201 healthy subjects. RESULTS: In patients with autoimmune pancreatitis compared with healthy subjects, we found a significant increase in DR4 (73% vs. 44%, corrected P = 0.01) and DRB1*0405 (58% vs. 21%, corrected P = 0.000026) and DQ4 (58% vs. 26%, corrected P = 0.001) and DQB1*0401 (58% vs. 21%, corrected P = 0.000017). The DRB1*0405-DQB1*0401 haplotype in autoimmune pancreatitis showed no significant association with any HLA class I antigens, in contrast to the B54-DRB1*0405-DQB1*0401 haplotype reported in autoimmune hepatitis. The frequencies of DRB1*0405 and DQB1*0401 were significantly high in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis compared with chronic calcifying pancreatitis. CONCLUSIONS: It is probable that DRB1*0405-DQB1*0401 haplotype is associated with autoimmune pancreatitis in the Japanese population.
