Sp1 and Sp3 mediate basal and serum-induced expression of human CENP-W

Cancer-upregulated gene 2 (CUG2), which was named since it was originally identified as a putative oncogene up-regulated in various human cancers, was recently renamed CENP-W based on the new findings that it is a component of the centromeric complex playing a crucial role in the assembly of functional kinetochore complex during mitosis. To understand the transcriptional regulation of CENP-W, we analyzed its TATA-less promoter and identified a GC-rich putative Sp1 binding site located at −46 to −36 that was critical in CENP-W expression. Competitive electrophoretic gel mobility shift assay using mutated oligos and supershift assays with Sp1 and Sp3 antibodies demonstrated that both proteins specifically bound to this promoter region. Moreover, we found that CENP-W was highly induced by serum stimulation followed by serum deprivation, with Sp1 and Sp3 transcription factors involved in this transactivation. Taken together, our results suggest that Sp1 together with Sp3 may function as the main regulator of the basal and serum-induced transcription of CENP-W.