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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: BACKGROUND, RESULTS. Meshes: Adenine Nucleotide Translocator 1, Animals, Astrocytes, Binding Sites, Cells, Cultured, Cerebral Cortex, Collodion, DNA-Binding Proteins, Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay, Gene Expression Regulation, Implants, Experimental, Mice, Mutagenesis, Site-Directed, Promoter Regions, Genetic, Response Elements, Sequence Deletion, Signal Transduction, Smad2 Protein, Smad3 Protein, Smad4 Protein, Sp1 Transcription Factor, Trans-Activators, Transforming Growth Factor beta, Transforming Growth Factor beta1.
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Does tGF-beta1 induction of the adenine nucleotide translocator 1 in astrocytes occur through Smads and Sp1 transcription factors? Context: The adenine nucleotide translocator 1 (Ant1) is an inner mitochondrial membrane protein involved with energy mobilization during oxidative phosphorylation. We recently showed that rodent Ant1 is upregulated by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in reactive astrocytes following CNS injury. In the present study, we describe the molecular mechanisms by which TGF-beta1 regulates Ant1 gene expression in cultured primary rodent astrocytes. Transcription reporter analysis verified that TGF-beta1 regulates transcription of the mouse Ant1 gene, but not the gene encoding the closely related Ant2 isoform. A 69 basepair TGF-beta1 responsive element of the Ant1 promoter was also identified. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that astrocyte nuclear proteins bind to this response element and TGF-beta1 treatment recruits additional nuclear protein binding to this element. Antibody supershift and promoter deletion analyses demonstrated that Sp1 consensus binding sites in the RE are important for TGF-beta1 regulation of Ant1 in astrocytes. Additionally, we demonstrate that Smad 2, 3 and 4 transcription factors are expressed in injured cerebral cortex and in primary astrocyte cultures. TGF-beta1 activated Smad transcription factors also contribute to Ant1 regulation since transcription reporter assays in the presence of dominant negative (DN)-Smads 3 and 4 significantly reduced induction of Ant1 by TGF-beta1.
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The specific regulation of Ant1 by TGF-beta1 in astrocytes involves a cooperative interaction of both Smad and Sp1 binding elements located immediately upstream of the transcriptional start site. The first report of expression of Smads 2, 3 and 4 in astrocytes provided here is consistent with a regulation of Ant1 gene expression by these transcription factors in reactive astrocytes. Given the similarity in TGF-beta1 regulation of Ant1 with other genes that are thought to promote neuronal survival, this interaction may represent a general mechanism that underlies the neuroprotective effects of TGF-beta1. Final Decision: yes