ELOVL6 promoter binding sites directly targeted by sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 in fatty acid synthesis of goat mammary epithelial cells

The elongation of long-chain fatty acid family member 6 (ELOVL6) gene plays an important role in the synthesis of long-chain saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. Although some studies have revealed that ELOVL6 is the target of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1; gene name SREBF1) in rodents, the mechanism underlying ELOVL6 regulation during lactation in dairy goats remains unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the transcriptional regulation mechanism of ELOVL6 in goat mammary epithelial cells (GMEC). We used PCR to clone and sequenced a 2,370 bp fragment of the ELOVL6 5′ flanking region from goat genomic DNA. Deletion analysis revealed a core promoter region located −105 to −40 bp upstream of the transcriptional start site. Mutant sterol regulatory elements (SRE) 1 and 3 significantly reduced the ELOVL6 promoter activities in GMEC. Both SRE1 and SRE3 binding sites were required for the basal transcriptional activity of ELOVL6. Luciferase reporter assays showed that SREBF1 knockdown decreased ELOVL6 promoter activities in GMEC. Furthermore, SRE1 and SRE3 sites were simultaneously mutated completely abolished the stimulatory effect of SREBF1 and the repressive effect of linoleic acid on ELOVL6 gene promoter activities. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that SREBP1 directly bound to SRE sites in the ELOVL6 promoter. In conclusion, these results indicate that SREBP1 regulates ELOVL6 transcription via the SRE elements located in the ELOVL6 promoter in goat mammary gland.