Characterization of a CCAAT-enhancer element of trefoil factor family 2 (TFF2) promoter in MCF-7 cells

Trefoil factors family 2 (TFF2), also known as spasmolytic polypeptide, is primarily expressed in the mucus neck cells of gastrointestinal tracts. It has been proposed that TFF2 plays an important physiological role in protection, repair, and healing of gastrointestinal mucosa. To investigate the cis-acting regulatory element that control TFF2 tissue-specific expression, we studied the basal TFF2 promoter activity through transient transfection in several human cancer cell lines. Expression of TFF2 was found to be significantly greater in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells compared to other cancer cells. Results from TFF2 promoter luciferase reporter constructs revealed that the basal level of TFF2 promoter activity was overall more than two-fold higher in MCF-7 cells compared to that of other cell lines examined. Using EMSA assays and site-directed mutagenesis, we identified a cell line-specific transcriptional regulation element located in the TFF2 promoter 5'-flank sequence at -32/-27, and which contains a CCAAT/enhance binding proteins (C/EBPs) consensus-binding site. Mutation of this consensus site reduced the basal promoter activity by more than 50% in MCF-7 cells but had no effect in human gastric cancer cells. In conclusion, we have identified a CCAAT sequence as a cell line-specific cis-acting regulatory element that may contribute to the high level expression of TFF2 in MCF-7 cells. These results also suggest the possibility that TFF2 could play a role in mammary gland tumorigenesis. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.