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This study examines the regulation of the human tissue factor (TF) promotor in vitro and in vivo. Transient transfections were performed in bovine aortic endothelial cells to investigate the role of two fundamentally different AP-1 sites and a closely located NF-kappa B site in the human TF promoter. The NF-kappa B site is functionally active, since overexpression of NF-kappa B(p65) resulted in induction of TF mRNA and activity. Promoter analysis showed that NF-kappa B induction was dependent on the integrity of the region from base pair -188 to -181. Over-expression of Jun/Fos resulted in TF induction of transcription and protein/activity. Functional studies revealed that the proximal AP-1 site, but not the distal, was inducible by Jun/Fos heterodimers. The distal AP-1 site, which has a G-->A switch at position 4, was inductible by Jun homodimers. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays, using extracts of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha)-stimulated bovine aortic endothelial cells, demonstrated TNF alpha-inducible binding to the proximal AP-1 site, comprising JunD/Fos heterodimers. At the distal AP-1 site, only minor induction of binding activity, characterized as proteins of the Jun and ATF family, was observed. Consistently, this site only marginally participates in TNF alpha induction. Functional studies with TF promotor plasmids confirmed that deletion of the proximal AP-1 or the NF-kappa B site decreased TNF alpha-mediated TF induction to a higher extend than loss of the distal AP-1 site. However, integrity of both AP-1 sites and the NF-kappa B site was required for optimal TNF alpha stimulation. The relevance of these in vitro data was confirmed in vivo in a mouse tumor model. Expression plasmids for a dominant negative Jun mutant or I-kappa B were packaged in liposomes. When either mutated Jun or I-kappa B were injected intravenously 48 h before TNF alpha, a reduction in TNF alpha-mediated TF expression in the tumor endothelial cells was observed. Simultaneously, fibrin/fibrinogen deposition decreased and free blood flow could be restored. Thus, TNF alpha-induced up-regulation of endothelial cell TF depends on a concerted action of members of the bZIP and NF-kappa B family.