Identification and characterization of a third gastrin response element (GAS-RE3) in the human histidine decarboxylase gene promoter

In human gastric cancer cells the human histidine decarboxylase gene is regulated by gastrin through two overlapping cis-acting elements known as gastrin response elements 1&2 (GAS-RE1, GAS-RE2) [J. Biol. Chem. 274 (1999) 20961]. Here, we report the identification and characterization of a third element GAS-RE3 that was localized to a region +28 to +48 downstream of the transcriptional start site (+1). Gastrin stimulation induced a rapid increase in binding to the element of a novel nuclear factor named gastrin response element-binding protein 3 (GAS-REBP3). Block mutations in the GAS-RE3 sequence ( +38 GTGCG +42 to +38 TAAGT +42 ) led to reduced promoter activity and decreased binding in EMSA. UV cross-linking studies and Southwestern blot analysis with wildtype and mutant GAS-RE3 showed that GAS-REBP3 was a ∼110 kDa protein. Thus, gastrin-mediated regulation of HDC gene expression appears to be mediated by a complex cis-acting element, which binds at least three distinct nuclear factors.