A novel transcription factor, ELF5, belongs to the ELF subfamily of ETS genes and maps to human chromosome 11p13- 15, a region subject to LOH and rearrangement in human carcinoma cell lines

• Published in: Oncogene Vol. 17; no. 21; pp. 2719 - 2732
• Main Authors: JIONG ZHOU, NG, A. Y. N, TYMMS, M. J, JERMIIN, L. S, SETH, A. K, THOMAS, R. S, KOLA, I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Nature Publishing 26-11-1998; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Breast; Breast Neoplasms - genetics; Breast Neoplasms - pathology; Cancer; Carcinoma - genetics; Cell physiology; Cell transformation and carcinogenesis. Action of oncogenes and antioncogenes; Chromosome 11; Chromosome Mapping; Chromosome translocations; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 - genetics; COS Cells; DNA, Complementary - genetics; ELF protein; Epithelium; ETS protein; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression; Gene Library; Gene mapping; Gene rearrangement; Genes; Heterozygosity; Humans; Kidney Neoplasms - genetics; Kidney Neoplasms - pathology; Kidneys; Loss of Heterozygosity; Lung - chemistry; Male; Mammary gland; Mice - genetics; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular Sequence Data; Multigene Family; Nucleotide sequence; Organ Specificity; Phylogeny; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms - genetics; Prostatic Neoplasms - pathology; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets; Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; Sequence Alignment; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Transcription factors; Transcription Factors - analysis; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - isolation & purification; Transcription Factors - physiology; Transcription, Genetic; Transfection; Tumor cell lines; Tumor Cells, Cultured; Tumorigenesis; Genetic mapping; Human; Carcinoma; Nucleotide sequence; Homology; Malignant tumor; Chromosome C11; Cell line; C-Onc gene; Loss of heterozygosity; Gene rearrangement; Deletion; Epithelial cell; Mutation
• ISSN: 0950-9232; 1476-5594
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.onc.1202198

The ETS transcription factors are a large family implicated in the control of cellular proliferation and tumorigenesis. In addition, chromosomal translocations involving ETS family members are associated with a range of different human cancers. Given the extensive involvement of ETS factors in tumorigenesis, it becomes important to identify any additional ETS genes that may also play oncogenic roles. We identify a novel gene, ELF5, that appears to belong to the ELF (E74-like-factor) subfamily of the ETS transcription factor family, based upon similarity within the 'ETS domain'. ELF5 displays a similar, but more restricted, expression pattern to that of the newly isolated epithelium-specific ETS gene, ELF3. Unlike most other ETS family members, ELF5 is not expressed in hematopoietic compartments, but is restricted to organs such as lung, stomach, kidney, prostate, bladder and mammary gland. ELF5 is localized to human chromosome 11p13-15, a region that frequently undergoes loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in several types of carcinoma, including those of breast, kidney and prostate. We find that ELF5 expression is not detectable in a number of carcinoma cell lines, some of which display loss or rearrangement of an ELF5 allele. Similar to other ETS family members, ELF5 displays specific binding to DNA sequences containing a GGAA-core. In addition, ELF5 is able to transactivate through these ETS sequences, present upstream from a minimal promoter. Our data suggest that ELF5 may play roles in mammary, lung, prostate and/or kidney function, and possibly also in tumorigenesis.