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.
Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
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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