Transcriptional Regulators of Expression of K#16, the Disease-Associated Keratin

In most malignant and benign skin diseases, the normal pattern of keratin expression is altered. Among other phenotypic changes, the expression of hyperproliferation- and activation-associated keratins K#16 and K#6 is induced. Because the molecular mechanisms and the nuclear regulators involved in this induction are unknown, we have characterized the transcriptional regulators of expression of the keratin K#16 promoter. Our previous studies have shown that the transcription of K#16 is strongly and specifically induced in epidermal keratinocytes by epidermal growth factor (EGF), through the EGF-responsive element (RE). In the present work, using an electrophoretic mobility-shift assay, we have found several nuclear protein binding sites that have been identified as an Sp1 site, an AP2 site, the EGF-RE, and an enhancer element. The function of each site was assessed in transfection assays using specific deletions. Both the Sp1 and EGF-RE sites are essential for K#16 promoter activity. The site that functions as an independent enhancer, E, was found adjacent to and interacting with a sequence recognized by the AP2 transcription factor. This knowledge of the nuclear regulators of expression of the disease-associated K#16 keratin provides insight into the molecular parameters that might be important in skin diseases.