Interferon production under the control of heterologous inducible enhancers and promoters.
In a search for a useful enhancer to control expression of interferon (IFN) gene in mammalian cells, mouse IFN-beta cDNA ligated 3' downstream to the enhancer-promoter of either mouse metallothionein-I (MT-I) or Drosophila heat shock protein (HSP) was introduced into various cultured cells by calcium-phosphate precipitation method, and the level of IFN transiently produced was compared. In the case of the MT-I enhancer-promoter, low levels of IFN were produced without induction (0-21 IU/ml) and the level increased 5-50 times by heavy metals. In contrast, the basal level of expression of the HSP enhancer-promoter was very low and its expression was increased several hundred to thousand times by heat shock or arsenite. Thus the HSP enhancer-promoter appears to be a potent inducible element with very low basal level and high inducibility.
Asano
M
M
Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo.
Nagashima
H
H
Iwakura
Y
Y
Kawade
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D001151:Arsenic / Q000494:pharmacology; D018053:Arsenites; D002104:Cadmium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006358:Hot Temperature; D007372:Interferons / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D007700:Kinetics; D008668:Metallothionein / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
D018053:Arsenites; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D002104:Cadmium; D004247:DNA; D007372:Interferons; D008668:Metallothionein; C015001:arsenite; D001151:Arsenic