Abstract
Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase (cyclooxygenase, COX) catalyzes the first committed step of the biosynthesis of prostaglandins and thromboxane as potent biological mediators. Recently, a new isozyme of the COX (COX-2) was found whose expression is inducible by cytokines and growth factors. The expression of this inducible COX-2 is linked to inflammatory cell types and tissues, and is now believed to be a target enzyme for the anti-inflammatory activity of the NSAIDs.
To investigate the contribution of COX-2 in inflammatory process it is important to elucidate the regulatory mechanism of COX-2 gene expression. We have shown that the 5'-flanking region of human COX-2 gene contained a canonical TATA box and various transcriptional regulatory elements, and that the gene possesed a long 3'-flanking region containing many AUUUA motifs which have been shown to confer enhanced mRNA degradation.
Here, we review recent progress in the studies of the regulation of COX-2 gene expression.
