Enhanced Binding of Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 and Ku80/70 to the ITGA2 Promoter via an Extended Cytosine-Adenosine Repeat

BACKGROUND: We have identified a cytosine-adenosine (CA) repeat length polymorphism in the 5′-regulatory region of the human integrin α2 gene ITGA2 that begins at −605. Our objective was to establish the contribution of this polymorphism to the regulation of integrin α2β1 expression, which is known to vary several-fold among normal individuals, and to investigate the underlying mechanism(s). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In combination with the SNP C-52T, previously identified by us as a binding site for the transcription factor Sp1, four ITGA2 haplotypes can be distinguished, in the order in which they enhance ITGA2 transcription: (CA)(12)/-52C>(CA)(11)/-52C>(CA)(11)/-52T>(CA)(10)/-52T. By DNA affinity chromatography and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays, we show that poly (ADP-ribose)polymerase-1 (PARP-1) and Ku80/70 bind specifically and with enhanced affinity to the longer (CA)(12) repeat alleles. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The increased binding of PARP-1 and Ku80/70, known components of transcription co-activator complexes, to the longer (CA)(12) alleles of ITGA2 coincides with enhanced α2β1 expression. The most likely explanation for these findings is that PARP-1 and Ku80/70 contribute to the transcriptional regulation of ITGA2. These observations provide new insight into the mechanisms(s) underlying haplotype-dependent variability in integrin α2β1 expression in human platelets and other cells.