Sp1 transcriptionally regulates BRK1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer cells

• Sp1 can bind to the promoter area of BRK1 gene.
• The Sp1 binding site is located at − 64 to − 73 nt upstream of start codon.
• Sp1 transcriptionally regulates BRK1 expression.
• Sp1 may contribute to the metastasis of NSCLC.

Following a previous study reporting that BRK1 is upregulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the present study sought to clarify the role of specificity protein 1 (Sp1) in the transcriptional regulation of the BRK1 gene. Therefore, a construct, named F8, consisting of the − 1341 to − 1 nt sequence upstream of the start codon of the BRK1 gene inserted into pGL4.26 was made. A series of truncated fragments was then constructed based on F8. Segment S831, which contained the − 84 to − 1 nt region, displayed the highest transcriptional activity in the A549, H1299 and H520 NSCLC cell lines. Bioinformatic analysis showed a potential Sp1-binding element at − 73 to − 64 nt, and a mutation in this region suppressed the transcriptional activity of S831. Then the RNAi assays of Sp1 and its coworkers Sp3 and Sp4 were performed, and suppression of Sp1 by siRNA inhibited the mRNA expression of BRK1. Both an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay demonstrated that Sp1 bound to the promoter area of the BRK1 gene. Our data identified a functional and positive Sp1 regulatory element from − 73 to − 64 nt in the BRK1 promoter, which may likely explain the overexpression of BRK1 in NSCLC.