Heterodimeric retinoic acid receptor-beta and retinoid X receptor-alpha complexes stimulate expression of the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 gene.

Abstrad Human intercellular adhesion molecule-i (ICAM-i ), a specific ligand for the leukocyte-fundion associated antigen-i and for Mac-i , plays an important role in immune responses. ICAM-i expression is regulated by various proinflammatory cytokines, phorbol myristate acetate, and retinoic acid. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms of transcriptional control involved in the stimulation of ICAM-1 gene expression by retinoic acid in Cos-i cells. Deletion mutant analysis provided evidence that a region located between -393 and -176 from the translational start site is critical to retinoic acid stimulation of luciferase adivity. This region harbors the consensus sequence for a retinoic acid-responsive element (RARE) 5’-GGGTCATCGCCCTGCCA-3’. The Smal(-270)/Smal (-i 78) fragment containing this