Constitutive autotaxin transcription by Nmyc-amplified and non-amplified neuroblastoma cells is regulated by a novel AP-1 and SP-mediated mechanism and abrogated by curcumin

► We report a novel transcriptional mechanism for autotaxin expression in human neuroblastoma cells. ► This mechanism is common to Nmyc amplified and non-amplified neuroblastoma cells. ► This mechanism involves functional CRE/AP-1-like and GA-box elements within the first 285bp of the autotaxin promoter. ► This mechanism depends upon Jun and SP transcription factors. ► This mechanism is inhibited by internally initiated SP-3 and is abrogated by the natural phenol curcumin. The motility, angiogenesis and metastasis-stimulating factor Autotaxin (Atx), over expressed by human neuroblastomas (NB), is constitutively expressed by human Nmyc-amplified SK-N-BE and non-Nmyc-amplified SH-SY5Y NB cells. Here, we characterise a novel Atx transcriptional mechanism, utilised by both cell lines, that is restricted to the first 285bp of the Atx promoter and involves AP-1 and SP transcription factors, acting through a CRE/AP-1-like element at position −142 to −149 and a GAbox at position −227 to −235 relative to the Atx translational start site. This novel transcriptional mechanism can be inhibited by internally initiated SP-3 and the natural phenol curcumin.