Transcriptional regulation of MICA and MICB:: A novel polymorphism in MICB promoter alters transcriptional regulation by Sp1

MHC class I-related genes A/B (MICA/B) are ligands of the NKG2D receptor expressed on T and NK cells. Their expression is highly restricted in normal tissues, but is up-regulated in tumoral and infected cells. We show that the minimal promoter of both genes contains a CCAAT box, which binds to NF-Y, and a GC box, which binds to Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4. We also demonstrate that MICB promoter is polymorphic, showing three single nucleotide polymorphisms (C > G at +16, -341, -408) and a deletion of two base pairs at -66 (AG >-) that is located close to the CCAAT box (-70) and the GC box (-86). Transcriptional activity associated with MICB promoter variants carrying this deletion, present in the 45.3% of Spanish population, showed a remarkable decrease (18-fold, p < 0.01). By functional analysis, we show that the deletion plays a critical role in MICB promoter activity by diminishing Sp1 transcriptional activation. These important variations in MICB expression among normal individuals could imply a significant difference in the natural immune response against infections or tumor transformation, and might thereby contribute to an increased aberrant immune response against self cells, providing the molecular basis for the associations of the MICB gene to different autoimmune diseases.