A cell type-specific enhancer drives expression of the chick muscle acetylcholine receptor alpha-subunit gene.
The regulation of acetylcholine receptor alpha-subunit gene expression was analyzed by transient expression assays. Using rabbit beta-globin cDNA as a reporter gene, we have confirmed that the 5'-flanking sequence of the chicken acetylcholine receptor alpha-subunit gene directs specific expression in differentiated C2C12 cells, a mouse muscle cell line, but not in undifferentiated C2C12 cells and mouse 3T3 fibroblasts. Testing chimeric plasmids containing Bal31 deletion mutants of the alpha-subunit gene upstream sequence, we found the -116 to -81 region of the alpha-subunit to be responsible for tissue- and stage-specific expression. This 36 bp fragment stimulates the activity of both alpha-subunit and SV40 promoters in a distance- and orientation-independent manner, thus fulfilling the criteria of an enhancer.
Wang
Y
Y
Department of Biochemistry, State University of New York, Stony Brook 11794.
Xu
H P
HP
Wang
X M
XM
Ballivet
M
M
Schmidt
J
J
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D015870:Gene Expression; D015698:Genomic Library; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism*; D010957:Plasmids; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000235:genetics*
D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic