Autoregulation of the Stat3 Gene through Cooperation with a cAMP-responsive Element-binding Protein

• DOI: 10.1074/jbc.273.11.6132
• Publication Date: 2002-07-26T15:04:43Z
• Authors: Makoto Ichiba; Koichi Nakajima; Yojiro Yamanaka; Nobuo Kiuchi; Toshio Hirano
• Keywords: STAT3 Transcription Factor; 0301 basic medicine; Binding Sites; Membrane Glycoproteins; Base Sequence; Interleukin-6; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-jun; Molecular Sequence Data; Phosphoproteins; DNA-Binding Proteins; Mice; 03 medical and health sciences; Gene Expression Regulation; Antigens, CD; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Cytokine Receptor gp130; Animals; Humans; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Interferon Regulatory Factor-1; Signal Transduction

STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) is a key transcription factor mediating the signals for a variety of cytokines, including interleukin-6 (IL-6). The Stat3 gene itself is activated by IL-6 signals. We show that the region of the signal-transducing subunit, gp130, essential for STAT3 activation, is also required for activation of the Stat3 gene. To elucidate the mechanisms activating the Stat3 gene, we identified an IL-6 response element (IL-6RE) in the Stat3 gene promoter containing both a low affinity STAT3-binding element and a cAMP-responsive element (CRE). Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed that IL-6 induced a slowly migrating complex on the IL-6RE containing a STAT3 homodimer and an unidentified CRE-binding protein. With the combination of transient transfection assays using mutant Stat3 promoter-reporter constructs and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we found that the formation of a slowly migrating complex was required for full activation of the Stat3 gene. Thus, STAT3 activates the Stat3 gene in cooperation with an unidentified CRE-binding protein. This regulatory mechanism is similar to that of the junB gene, which is activated by IL-6 through the junB IL-6RE, which contains a low affinity STAT3-binding site and a CRE-like site.