The skin-type antifreeze protein gene intron of the winter flounder is a ubiquitous enhancer lacking a functional C/EBPα binding motif

The winter flounder antifreeze protein (AFP) intron contains a liver-specific enhancer (Element B) which was shown earlier to bind CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP)alpha. In contrast, as demonstrated in the present studies, the intron of the skin-type AFP gene acted as a ubiquitous enhancer and contained a TA insertion at similar region to Element B (Element S) which destroyed its interaction with C/EBPalpha. Furthermore, a TA insertion of Element B by site-directed mutagenesis decreased its liver enhancer activity. The presence or absence of C/EBPalpha binding motifs in Element B and Element S, respectively, may provide a mechanism for their differential expression.