Analysis of the Promoter Region of the Xenopus General Type TFIIS (TCEA1) Gene

TFIIS is a general transcription elongation factor that interacts with Elongin (SIII), a product of the tumor suppressor gene for the human hereditary disorder von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. Here, we have studied the promoter region of the Xenopus general type TFIIS (XGTFIIS) gene using a luciferase assay. The previously cloned region 1600-bp upstream of the XGTFIIS gene was divided into 12 sequential deletion fragments, and each fragment was inserted into the pGL3-Basic vector, which was used as a reporter for a luciferase assay in the Xenopus cultured cell-line, XTC. Except for the proximal promoter region close to the transcription start sites, no positively or negatively regulating element was found for TFIIS gene expression within the 1600-bp upstream region of the XGTFIIS gene. Of the two previously identified transcription start sites, the one that is distal to the ATG codon was preferred over the proximal one.