Page 24 - L. Genetics and genomics

[L. Genetics and genomics-20]

ETS transcription factor ELF3 activates transcriptional activity

of Cripto-1 promoter

Wonbin Choi¹, Sung-Won Park¹, Hyun-Jin Do¹, Jae-Hwan Kim¹˙*

¹Biomedical Science, College of Life Science, CHA University, Seongnam KS009, KR

Cripto-1, known as teratocarcinoma-derived growth factor 1 (TDGF1), belongs to a family of epidermal growth
factor-related peptides and is involved in the regulation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) processes
during embryonic development. E74-like ETS transcription factor 3 (ELF3), a member of ETS transcription factors,

plays important roles in invasion, migration, and tumor progression, which are similar to the biological processes

of EMT. Both Cripto-1 and ELF3 are also overexpressed in various cancer types such as prostate, breast, embryonal
carcinoma cell and seem to play important roles in EMT. In this study, we examined the transcriptional activity of
Cripto-1 by ETS transcription factor ELF3 in human embryonal carcinoma NCCIT cells. Transcription activity of Cripto-

1 full length promoter was increased by a dose-dependent overexpression of ELF3. A series of deletion mutagenesis
found that the upstream region of Cripto-1 minimal promoter is sufficient to activate basal transcriptional activity.

We also confirmed that the dose-dependent overexpression of ELF3 significantly increased the Cripto-1 minimal
promoter. To summarize, ELF3 seems to play an important role in Cripto-1 expression as a transcriptional activator

in human embryonal carcinoma NCCIT cells.