The early growth response 1 (EGR-1) gene is induced by mitogens, differentiating stimuli, and certain genotoxic agents in diverse cell types. The present work has examined the effects of 1-(beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)cytosine (ara-C), an antileukemia agent that misincorporates into DNA, on EGR-1 expression. Treatment of HL-525 myeloid leukemia cells with ara-C was associated with transient increases in EGR-1 mRNA levels. Nuclear run-on assays showed that this effect is related at least in part to activation of EGR-1 gene transcription. Sequences responsive to ara-C-induced signals were determined by deletion analysis of the EGR-1 promoter. The results demonstrate that ara-C inducibility of the EGR-1 gene is conferred by a region containing six serum response or CC(A/T)6GG (CArG) motifs. Further analysis demonstrated that the first two distal or 5'-most CArG elements are functional in the ara-C response. An oligomer corresponding to the first CArG element also conferred ara-C inducibility of the minimal thymdine kinase gene promoter, while no inducibility was detectable using a similar oligomer containing a mutated CArG box. Other work has demonstrated that the nuclear serum response factor (SRF) interacts with the CArG box in the EGR-1 promoter and that the serine/threonine pp90rsk protein kinase phosphorylates SRF in vitro at sites phosphorylated in vivo. The present studies demonstrate that ara-C has little if any effect on cytosolic pp90rsk as determined by immunoblotting to assess electrophoretic mobility and by immune-complex kinase assays using S6 peptide as substrate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)