Parathyroid hormone induces c-fos promoter activity in osteoblastic cells through phosphorylated cAMP response element (CRE)-binding protein binding to the major CRE

Many parathyroid hormone (PTH)-mediated events in osteoblasts are thought to require immediate early gene expression, PTH induces the immediate early gene, c-fos, in this cell type through a cAMP-dependent pathway, The present work investigated the nuclear mechanisms involved in PTH regulation of c-fos in the osteoblastic cell line, UMR 106-01. By transiently transfecting c-fos promoter 5' deletion constructs into UMR cells, we demonstrated that PTH induction of the c-fos promoter requires the major cAMP response element (CRE). Point mutations created in the major CRE within the largest construct inhibited both PTH-stimulated and basal expression, This element, therefore, performs concerted basal and PTH-responsive cis-acting functions, Gel retardation and Western blotting techniques revealed that CRE-binding protein (CREB) constitutively binds the major CRE but becomes phosphorylated at its cAMP-dependent protein kinase consensus recognition site following PTH treatment, CREB was functionally implicated in c-fos regulation by coexpressing a dominant CREB repressor, KCREB (killer CREB), with the c-fos promoter constructs. KCREB suppressed both basal and PTH-mediated c-fos induction. We conclude that PTH activates c-fos in osteoblasts through cAMP-dependent protein kinase-phosphorylated CREB interaction with the major CRE in the promoter region of the c-fos gene.