title: Tissue specificity of a glucocorticoid-dependent enhancer in transgenic mice.
abstract: The glucocorticoid-responsive units (GRUs) of the rat tyrosine aminotransferase were associated with the regulatory sequences of a cellular gene expressed ubiquitously--that coding for the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II. In transient expression assays, glucocorticoid responsiveness of the hybrid regulatory regions depends on the spatial relationship and number of regulatory elements. Two parameters affect the ratio of induction by glucocorticoids: the basal level of the hybrid promoter that is affected by the RNA polymerase II regulatory sequences and the glucocorticoid-induced level that depends on the distance between the GRUs and the TATA box. A fully active glucocorticoid-responsive hybrid gene was used to generate transgenic mice. Results show that a composite regulatory pattern is obtained: ubiquitous basal expression characteristic of the RNA polymerase II gene and liver-specific glucocorticoid activation characteristic of the tyrosine aminotransferase GRUs. This result demonstrates that the activity of the tyrosine aminotransferase GRUs is cell-type-specific not only in cultured cells but also in the whole animal.
authors.affiliation: Institut Jacques Monod, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Paris 7, France.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sassi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fromont-Racine
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grange
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pictet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003907:Dexamethasone / Q000494:pharmacology; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000235:genetics*; D016385:TATA Box; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014444:Tyrosine Transaminase / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D003907:Dexamethasone; D014444:Tyrosine Transaminase