Targeting of gene expression to skeletal and cardiac muscle of trangenic animals.
The tissue restricted and developmental potentiation of transcription by chicken alpha-skeletal actin promoter regions fused to the reporter gene chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) were characterized in transgenic mice. Six of eight expressing transgenic mouse lines containing the chicken alpha-skeletal actin promoter fused to CAT resulted in preferential transgene transcription in skeletal muscle tissue, similar to the endogenous mouse alpha-skeletal actin gene. Two of the eight lines departed from the preferred pattern of skeletal muscle expression with primary expression of the transgene in the heart, a tissue containing primarily cardiac actin isoforms. Developmentally, a transition from embryonic heart to fetal and neonatal skeletal muscle expression was produced by the transgene promoter, a pattern of regulation similar to that of the endogenous alpha-skeletal actin gene. Instances of departure of transgene expression from the endogenous gene implied the existance of higher order muscle gene regulatory mechanisms.
Department of Cell Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX 77030.
A T
AT
Sands
F
F
DeMayo
X
X
Lei
R J
RJ
Schwartz
D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D024510:Muscle Development; D009132:Muscles / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
D000199:Actins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase