title: [The human insulin gene in the transgenic mouse].
abstract: An 11-kilobase human DNA fragment carrying the coding sequence of the insulin gene (1,430 pairs) and its flanking sequences was introduced into the genome of mice. An important fraction of insulin in these transgenic mice (up to more than half the total amount) was human. The human gene (the transgene) was expressed only in pancreatic-islet beta cells. This indicates that the DNA fragment used contains the regulatory DNA elements allowing gene-specific expression in the cells where it is physiologically active. Progressive deletions were introduced into the DNA fragment upstream to the coding sequence, and additional transgenic lines were constructed using the shortened fragments. The activity of the human gene remained important in the mouse as far as the 353 base pairs upstream to the coding sequence were maintained, and disappeared when only 58 base pairs were present. Thus, human-insulin gene expression needs regulatory DNA elements concentrated upstream and very close to the coding sequence.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jami
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005796:Genes; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin
vernacular_title: Le gène de l'insuline de l'homme chez la souris transgénique.