The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is crucial for the function and survival of retinal photoreceptors. VMD2 encodes
bestrophin, an oligomeric
chloride channel that is preferentially expressed in the RPE and, when mutated, causes
Best macular dystrophy. Previously, we defined the VMD2 upstream region from -253 to +38 bp as being sufficient to direct RPE-specific expression in the eye, and we suggested
microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) as a possible positive regulator. Here we show that in transgenic mice the -154 to +38 bp region is sufficient for RPE expression, and mutation of two E-boxes, 1 and 2, within this region leads to loss of promoter activity. A yeast one-hybrid screen using bait containing E-box 1 identified clones encoding MITF, TFE3, and TFEB, and
chromatin immunoprecipitation with
antibodies against these
proteins enriched the VMD2 proximal promoter. Analysis using in vivo electroporation with constructs containing mutation of each E-box indicated that expression in native RPE requires both E-boxes, yet in vitro
DNA binding studies suggested that MITF binds well to E-box 1 but only minimally to E-box 2. MITF knockdown by
small interfering RNA (
siRNA) in cell culture revealed a strong correlation between MITF and VMD2
mRNA levels. Sequential transfection of a
luciferase construct with expression vectors following MITF
siRNA revealed that TFE3 and TFEB can also transactivate the VMD2 promoter. Taken together, we suggest that VMD2 is regulated by the MITF-
TFE family through two E-boxes, with E-box 1 required for a direct interaction of MITF-
TFE factors and E-box 2 for binding of the as yet unidentified factor(s).