Multiple elements may be used for regulation of the GAP-43 gene in different cell-types.
Recent evidence suggests that GAP-43 expression is not restricted to the nervous system, but may also occur outside the neural cell lineage. Two distinct patterns of GAP-43 regulation can therefore be distinguished. The first is the regulation of GAP-43 expression in multiple cell-types, and the second is the gene's temporal modulation within one specific cell-type. The latter type is well documented for neurons, where GAP-43 regulation is regulated in a fashion that is dependent on axon integrity. Results from partial analysis of the GAP-43 promoter/enhancer region indicate that at least some of these aspects of GAP-43 gene regulation may be accounted for by distinct cis-acting elements. For example, the expression of a rat GAP-43 promoter fusion gene in epidermal cells of transgenic zebrafish is dependent on an enhancer element, that is clearly distinct from the minimal neural-specific promoter. Characterization of specific GAP-43 regulatory elements responsible for particular aspects of its regulation may provide insight to signal pathways also utilized by other genes during development. Ultimately, a better understanding of the molecular events during development could help to define more precisely the complex sequences necessary for the establishment of an intact organism.
Reinhard
E
E
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
Skene
J H
JH
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism; D004296:Dopa Decarboxylase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D004817:Epidermis / Q000196:embryology; D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D005775:Gastrula / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D005796:Genes; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013045:Species Specificity; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D015027:Zebrafish
D019922:GAP-43 Protein; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004296:Dopa Decarboxylase