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Journal of Virology, November 2004, p. 12157-12168, Vol. 78, No. 22
0022-538X/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JVI.78.22.12157-12168.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

A Retroviral Promoter and a Cellular Enhancer Define a Bipartite Element Which Controls env ERVWE1 Placental Expression

Sarah Prudhomme, Guy Oriol, and François Mallet*

Unité Mixte de Recherche 2714, CNRS-bioMérieux, IFR128 BioSciences Lyon-Gerland, ENS-Lyon, Lyon, France

Received 27 April 2004/ Accepted 15 July 2004

The HERV-W family contains hundreds of loci diversely expressed in several physiological and pathological contexts. A unique locus termed ERVWE1 encodes an envelope glycoprotein (syncytin) involved in hominoid placental physiology. Here we show that syncytin expression is regulated by a bipartite element consisting of a cyclic AMP (cAMP)-inducible long terminal repeat (LTR) retroviral promoter adjacent to a cellular enhancer conferring a high level of expression and placental tropism. Deletion mutant analysis showed that the ERVWE1 5' LTR contains binding sites essential for basal placental activity in the region from positions +1 to +125. The region from positions +125 to +310 represents a cAMP-responsive core HERV-W promoter active in all cell types. Site-directed mutagenesis analysis highlighted the complexity of U3 regulation. ERVWE1 placenta-specific positive (e.g., T240) and negative (e.g., G71) regulatory sites were identified, as were essential sites required for basic activity (e.g., A247). The flanking sequences of the ERVWE1 provirus contain several putative regulatory elements. The upstream HERV-H and HERV-P LTRs were found to be inactive. Conversely, the 436-bp region located between the HERV-P LTR and ERVWE1 was shown to be an upstream regulatory element (URE) which is significantly active in placenta cells. This URE acts as a tissue-specific enhancer. Genetic and functional analyses of hominoid UREs revealed large differences between UREs of members of the Hominidae and the Hylobatidae. These data allowed the identification of a positive regulatory region from positions –436 to –128, a mammalian apparent LTR retrotransposon negative regulatory region from positions –128 to –67, and a trophoblast-specific enhancer (TSE) from positions –67 to –35. Putative AP-2, Sp-1, and GCMa binding sites are essential constituents of the 33-bp TSE.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: UMR2714, CNRS-bioMérieux, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 All. d'Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France. Phone: 33 472 728 358. Fax: 33 472 728 533. E-mail: francois.mallet{at}ens-lyon.fr.

Journal of Virology, November 2004, p. 12157-12168, Vol. 78, No. 22
0022-538X/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JVI.78.22.12157-12168.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

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