title: Cloning and characterization of the 5'-flanking region of the rat neuron-specific Class III beta-tubulin gene.
abstract: The promoter regions of several neuron-specific structural proteins (e.g. neurofilaments, peripherin, Talpha1-tubulin) have revealed potential regulatory elements that could contribute to the choice of a neuronal phenotype during development. We initiated study of the 5'-flanking region of the rat Class III neuron-specific beta-tubulin gene (betaIII-tubulin) because this gene is expressed at the time of terminal mitosis only in neurons and thus its promoter should be an excellent tool for studying neuron-specific gene expression during the transition from proliferative progenitor cell to early neuronal differentiation. We identified the minimal promoter region needed to drive expression of the betaIII-tubulin gene. This minimal region contains multiple putative binding sites for the transcription factors SP1 and AP2, as well as a central nervous system enhancer regulatory element and an E-box. A primer extension analysis identifies a single transcription start site. We highlight several putative regulatory elements that may modulate the expression of the betaIII-tubulin gene in a stage- and tissue-specific manner. In addition, we show that the first 490 bp of the promoter are sufficient to regulate betaIII-tubulin gene expression during neuronal differentiation of PCC7 cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Program in Neuroscience, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, The George Washington University, 2300 I (eye) Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dennis
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uittenbogaard
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiaramello
authors.forename: Sally A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Moody
mesh_terms: D024506:5' Flanking Region / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D024363:Transcription Initiation Site; D014404:Tubulin / Q000235:genetics*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014404:Tubulin; D004247:DNA; D015500:Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase