B-lymphocyte targeting of gene expression in transgenic mice with the immunoglobulin heavy-chain enhancer.
A hybrid gene containing rabbit beta-globin structural sequences (-9 to +1650), and a chicken conalbumin gene promoter (+62 to -102) in the place of the beta-globin promoter (upstream from -9), was inactive in 5 different transgenic mouse line. Adding the mouse immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) enhancer to this construction specifically stimulated expression in B-cells. These results show that IgH enhancer is specifically active in B-cells. Expression of the hybrid gene was low compared to the endogenous immunoglobulin heavy and light-chain genes. Substituting the mouse immunoglobulin kappa light-chain gene (Ig kappa) promoter (+4 to -800) for the heterologous conalbumin promoter was not sufficient to restore gene expression to level of the endogenous genes. In addition to the reproducible B cell expression, we also found inheritable unexpected expression in certain tissues, which varied from line to line.
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002645:Chickens; D003207:Conalbumin / Q000235:genetics; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D005333:Fetus; D005796:Genes; D005809:Genes, Regulator; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D008099:Liver / Q000196:embryology; D051379:Mice; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010957:Plasmids; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D003207:Conalbumin; D005914:Globins