Summary
The effect of the synthetic glucocorticoid hormone dexamethasone on human γ chain
fibrinogen gene expression was examined. The whole promoter region of 3.8 kb of this
gene and progressive 5’-deletions were inserted into a promoterless expression vector,
upstream of the luciferase gene and transiently transfected into the human hepatoma
HepG2 cells, in the presence or in the absence of dexamethasone stimulation. Deletion
analysis allowed to identify a region located between –1359 and –954 bp upstream from
the transcription start site, involved in hormone inducibility. On the basis of a
computer-assisted analysis, a putative GRE was found in this region at bases –1116
to –1102. Specific point mutations eliminating this putative GRE led to complete loss
of glucocorticoid inducibility, thus indicating its functional role. Binding of the
rat glucocorticoid receptor to this site was demonstrated by mobility-shift assays.