C-MYC PROTEIN COMPLEX BINDS TO 2 SITES IN HUMAN HSP70 PROMOTER REGION

We investigated the binding of partially purified (enriched) c-myc protein to the human hsp70 promoter region by band shift and ultraviolet crosslinking assays. In the hsp70 promoter region, two sites were found to be homologous to the c-myc protein complex binding sequence in the c-myc gene. These sites are located at positions -230 and -160 bases relative to the transcription initiation site, overlapping with the region reported for the regulation of hsp70 gene expression by c-myc, and upstream of other regulatory sequences including the heat shock element and the serum responsive element. The results shown here suggest that the c-myc protein complex from human HL-60 cells binds to the two sites of the region directly and sequence specifically. It is therefore suggested that the c-myc protein or protein complex contribute to the regulation of hsp70 gene expression by binding directly to the promoter region.