Promoter elements which mediate the ph-response of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase mrna in llc-pk1-f+ cells. Holcomb, Thomas, Wenlin Liu, Richard Snyder, Richard Shapiro, and Norman P. Curthoys. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
APStracts 3:0053F, 1996.
The onset of metabolic acidosis causes an increased transcription of the renal phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK) gene. When transgenic mice carrying a bovine growth hormone (bGH) gene driven by the -460 to +73 segment of the PCK promoter were made chronically acidotic, the bGH mRNA was increased 2-fold after 4 d. Confluent and well-differentiated cultures of LLC-PK1-F+ cells exhibit a 2.5-fold increase in PCK mRNA when transferred to acidic media (pH 6.9, 10 mM HCO3-) for 16 h. Confluent cultures transfected with PCK-490CAT exhibit an increase (3.5-fold) in chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) activity when shifted to acidic medium for 48 h. Mutation or deletion of the P2 element causes a 4- to 5-fold decrease in basal CAT activity but does not affect the pH-response. In contrast, mutations of the P3(II) element or CRE-1 have little effect on basal activity, but cause a 50% decrease in the pH-response. Other deletions or mutations have little effect on either activity. Thus, changes in the activity or levels of the protein(s) in the renal proximal tubule which bind to the P3(II) and CRE-1 elements may mediate increased transcription of the PCK gene during metabolic acidosis.

Received 11 October 1995; accepted in final form 8 March 1996.
APS Manuscript Number F340-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Renal Fluid Electrolyte
Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 27 March 96