title: Eukaryotic promoters drive gene expression in Escherichia coli.
abstract: Eight eukaryotic promoters have been tested for their activity in vivo in Escherichia coli. The rat beta-actin, rat amylase, rat chymotrypsin B, mouse metallothionein I, rat insulin I, human insulin, Rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat (RSV LTR) and hepatitis B viral precore promoter activities were measured by using the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase coding sequences as the reporter function and by primer extension RNA analysis. All eight promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase constructs produce chloramphenicol acetyltransferase activity with the following relative strengths: RSV LTR greater than rat beta-actin greater than rat insulin I greater than rat amylase greater than hepatitis B virus precore greater than human insulin greater than rat chymotrypsin B greater than mouse metallothionein I. A primer extension analysis indicates that transcription from the RSV LTR, rat insulin I, and rat beta-actin promoters initiates at the sites expected for eukaryotic rather than prokaryotic promoters. Thus the site of initiation is determined by the DNA sequence rather than by the RNA polymerase.
authors.affiliation: Hormone Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco 94143.
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Antonucci
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Rutter
mesh_terms: D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D010957:Plasmids; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
chemical_list: D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase