Transcriptional activation of the chicken lysozyme gene by NF-kappa Bp65 (RelA) and c-Rel, but not by NF-kappa Bp50.

The lysozyme gene is expressed at a low level in myeloblasts and is progressively activated to constitutively high expression in mature macrophages. The binding activity of the newly defined NF-kappa B/Rel family of transcription factors increases during the terminal differentiation of macrophages. In this study, I show that NF-kappa B/Rel-like proteins bind to the nuclear factor kappa B (kappa B)-like sequence of the lysozyme promoter.

The far upstream chicken lysozyme enhancer at -6.1 kilobase, by interacting with NF-M, mediates lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of the chicken lysozyme gene in chicken myelomonocytic cells.

Macrophages respond to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with the activation of various genes, including the lysozyme gene. Here, we show that the level of lysozyme mRNA increases following treatment of chicken myelomonocytic HD11 cells with LPS. By transient and stable transfection of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene controlled by regulatory elements of the lysozyme gene, we identified a subfragment of the -6.