The tissue-specific regulation of the carboxyl ester lipase gene in exocrine pancreas differs significantly between mouse and human.

The carboxyl ester lipase (CEL) gene is highly expressed in exocrine pancreas and expression of the human CEL gene is mediated by a strong tissue-specific enhancer, which is absolutely necessary for high-level expression. The mouse promoter, on the other hand, does not contain a corresponding enhancer element, but instead is totally dependent on another pancreas-specific element. This element is identified as a pancreatic transcription factor 1 (PTF 1)-binding site. The human CEL promoter also contains a putative PTF 1 element located at a position corresponding to the essential PTF 1 site in the mouse promoter. However, nucleotide changes in the human promoter 5' flanking this PTF 1 site have created an overlapping CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP)-like binding motif, interfering with the binding of PTF 1. Hence, our findings provide an example of genetic divergence between species not accompanied by difference in function.

Transcriptional regulation of the human carboxyl ester lipase gene in exocrine pancreas. Evidence for a unique tissue-specific enhancer.

The human carboxyl ester lipase (CEL) is an important enzyme for the intestinal absorption of dietary lipids. The gene is highly expressed in exocrine pancreas and in the mammary gland during pregnancy and lactation. In this paper, we have focused on its transcriptional regulation in exocrine pancreas. Reporter gene analysis in cell cultures reveals that a high level of tissue-specific expression is established by the proximal 839 base pairs of the 5'-flanking region. This is due to a strong enhancer, located at -672 to -637. Transfections in mammary gland-derived cells reveal that the enhancer is pancreas-specific and does not contribute to the mammary gland expression. This indicates that the expression of the CEL gene in the mammary gland and pancreas, respectively, is due to two different regulatory systems. Further characterizations of the enhancer reveal that it is composed of two closely located cis-elements. The proximal element mediates a positive effect, whereas the distal element exerts a silencing effect on the positive proximal element. The functional enhancer complex is composed of ubiquitously expressed factors, since similar interactions are achieved with nuclear extracts from cells derived from other tissues. However, no enhancer activity is achieved in such cells. Hence, the net enhancer activity is the result of a tissue-specific balance between factors interacting with the two elements. Since none of the described cis-elements show any clear homology to known cis-elements, we propose that the interacting complex is composed of yet unidentified transcription factors.

Studies of the regulation of the mouse carboxyl ester lipase gene in mammary gland.

The lactating mammary gland and pancreas of mouse constitute the main tissues for synthesis and secretion of a bile-salt-stimulated lipase called carboxyl ester lipase (CEL). In this paper we have analysed the endogenous CEL gene expression in mammary gland. It is shown that the gene is expressed at day 14 of pregnancy, which is synchronous with that of the whey acidic protein (WAP) gene. Even though the CEL and WAP genes are induced at the same time during mammary gland differentiation, their regulation is different with respect to dependence on lactogenic hormones. The high induction of the WAP gene expression due to the activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)5 by prolactin has not been observed for the CEL gene, even though it has been demonstrated that both STAT5 isoforms interact with one of the gamma-interferon activation sequence sites in the promoter of the CEL gene. Hence we have demonstrated that the prolactin/STAT5 signal is not involved in a general and significant activation of 'milk genes'. Instead of a direct effect of the lactogenic hormones, the up-regulation of the CEL gene is correlated with an increase in the number of differentiated epithelial cells. Furthermore, promoter studies using the mammary-gland-derived cell line, HC11, show that a major positive element in the CEL gene promoter interacts with a member(s) of the CCAAT-binding transcription factor/nuclear factor 1 family, binding to a palindromic site. Binding of this factor(s) is important for the tissue-specific activation of the CEL gene in the mammary gland, because no activation by this factor(s) was seen in cells of pancreatic origin.