The alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene is of special importance because it is an embryonic and fetal gene that is inactivated during development, repressed by corticosteroids, and reactivated by carcinogenesis. The proposed research will define transcription controls of the AFP gene and determine how neoplasia alters them. Recombinant DNA constructs in which AFP gene elements were fused to the bacterial """"""""CAT"""""""" gene have been developed, defining upstream enhancer and modulatory elements that allow expression in the human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. One group of experiments will be directed to better defining the transcription and hormonal controls, by sequencing the DNA of the transcription control region, resolving the control sequences by deletion analysis, and analyzing the transcription- control effects in HepG2 cells. These cell systems will be modified to allow evaluation of hormonal interactions with the AFP-gene control-elements. A second group of studies is directed to the analysis of AFP gene controls in other cells, which normally express AFP, but seem to require more genetic information than is contained in the plasmids already tested. Such cells probably reflect gene controls more like those required for normal development. For this phase of analysis, more DNA regions flanking the AFP gene will be cloned and analyzed. A final group of experiments will study the modifications of cellular AFP gene expression and gene structure caused by the presence in cells of specific activated oncogenes. These experiments will be carried out in preexisting tumor-cell lines and in new cell lines derived by transformation of primary hepatocyte cultures.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA043909-02
Application #
3186381
Study Section
Pathology B Study Section (PTHB)
Project Start
1987-07-01
Project End
1990-12-31
Budget Start
1989-01-01
Budget End
1989-12-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
1989
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
053785812
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213
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Wan, Y J; Pan, T; Wang, L et al. (1995) 9-cis-retinoic acid is more effective than all-trans-retinoic acid in upregulating expression of the alpha-fetoprotein gene. J Mol Endocrinol 14:101-8
Groupp, E R; Crawford, N; Locker, J (1994) Characterization of the distal alpha-fetoprotein enhancer, a strong, long distance, liver-specific activator. J Biol Chem 269:22178-87
Wen, P; Locker, J (1994) A novel hepatocytic transcription factor that binds the alpha-fetoprotein promoter-linked coupling element. Mol Cell Biol 14:6616-26
Wen, P; Crawford, N; Locker, J (1993) A promoter-linked coupling region required for stimulation of alpha-fetoprotein transcription by distant enhancers. Nucleic Acids Res 21:1911-8
Yin, X Y; Smith, M L; Whiteside, T L et al. (1993) Abnormalities in the p53 gene in tumors and cell lines of human squamous-cell carcinomas of the head and neck. Int J Cancer 54:322-7

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