A 1,064 bp fragment from the promoter region of the Col11a2 gene drives lacZ expression not only in cartilage but also in osteoblasts adjacent to regions undergoing both endochondral and intramembranous ossification in mouse embryos.
We isolated a 1,064 bp promoter fragment that extended from the 3'-end of the adjacent gene for retinoic X receptor-beta to beyond the most clearly defined start site of the mouse Col11a2 gene. The fragment was then joined to a beta-galactosidase gene and used to prepare transgenic mice. Three independent lines of transgenic mice were generated. The reporter beta-galactosidase gene was expressed in essentially all cartilaginous tissues in 15.5-day-old mouse embryos. In addition, the construct was expressed in osteoprogenitors within developing periosteum and in osteoblasts within mineralized bone. This pattern of expression was evident during both endochondral and intramembranous bone formation. Therefore, the results suggest that 1,064 bp promoter fragment can drive tissue-specific expression of the Col11a2 gene.
Center for Gene Therapy, Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, Hahnemann Division, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, USA.
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Phinney
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D000818:Animals; D001846:Bone Development / Q000235:genetics*; D002356:Cartilage / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D003094:Collagen / Q000235:genetics*; D005333:Fetus / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics
D003094:Collagen; D001616:beta-Galactosidase