Characterization of the human mitochondrial thiamine pyrophosphate transporter SLC25A19 minimal promoter: A role for NF-Y in regulating basal transcription

•Study provides identification of SLC25A19 minimal promoter.•NF-Y transcription factor plays a key role in SLC25A19 basal promoter activity.•Study is important for understanding of transcriptional regulation of SLC25A19.

Transcriptional regulation of expression of the human mitochondrial thiamine pyrophosphate transporter (the product of the SLC25A19 gene) is unknown. To understand this regulation, we cloned and characterized the 5′-regulatory region of the SLC25A19 gene (1080 bp). The cloned fragment was found to possess promoter activity in transiently transfected human-derived liver HepG2 cells. 5′- and 3′-deletion analysis has identified the minimal region required for basal SLC25A19 promoter activity to be between  −131 and + 20 (using the distal transcriptional start site as + 1). The minimal promoter lacks typical TATA motif and contains two inverted CCAAT boxes (binding sites for NF-Y transcriptional factor). By means of mutational analysis, the critical role of both the upstream and downstream CCAAT boxes in basal SLC25A19 promoter activity was established; however, each of these boxes alone was found to be unable to support promoter activity. EMSA and supershift EMSA (with the use of specific antibodies against NF-Y subunits) studies, as well as chromatin immunoprecipitation assay, demonstrated the binding of NF-Y to both CCAAT boxes in vitro and in vivo, respectively. The requirement for NF-Y in SLC25A19 promoter activity in vivo was directly confirmed by the use of a dominant negative NF-YA mutant in transiently transfected HepG2 cells. These studies report for the first time the characterization of the SLC25A19 promoter and demonstrate an essential role for NF-Y in its basal activity.