Analysis of the regulation of fatty acid binding protein 7 expression in human renal carcinoma cell lines

We determined FABP7 mRNA levels in six RCC cell lines. Two were highly expressed, whereas the other and the embryonic kidney cell line (HEK293) were weakly expressed FABP7 transcripts. Western blot analysis of the cell lines detected strong FABP7 expression only in one RCC cell line. Promoter activity in the RCC cell lines was 3- to 21-fold higher than that of HEK293. Deletion analysis demonstrated that three FABP7 promoter regions contributed to upregulated expression in RCC cell lines, but not in the HEK293 cell. Competition analysis of gel shifts indicated that OCT1, OCT6, and nuclear factor I (NFI) bound to the FABP7 promoter region. Supershift experiments indicated that BRN2 (POU3F2) and NFI bound to the FABP7 promoter region as well. There was an inverse correlation between FABP7 promoter activity and BRN2 mRNA expression. The FABP7-positive cell line's NFI-DNA complex migrated faster than in other cell lines. Levels of NFIA mRNA were higher in the HEK293 cell line than in any of the six RCC cell lines. In contrast, NFIC mRNA expression was lower in the HEK293 cell line than in the six RCC cell lines.Three putative FABP7 promoter regions drive reporter gene expression in RCC cell lines, but not in the HEK293 cell line. BRN2 and NFI may be key factors regulating the expression of FABP7 in certain RCC-derived cell lines.Among primary renal tumors the most common is renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Although earlier detection of RCC has positively influenced patient outcomes [1], predicting both disease progression and patient response to treatment is difficult, due in part to the lack of suitable molecular markers [2].FABP7 belongs to a mammalian family of at least nine proteins that are specifically expressed in diverse tissues such as liver, intestine, heart, adipose tissue, epidermis, brain, peripheral nervous system, and testis [3]. Several members of the FABP family play important roles in regulating metabolism and have been implicated in contributing to the deve