The upstream regulatory region of the gene for the human homologue of the adhesion molecule TAG-1 contains elements driving neural specific expression in vivo.
Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) exhibit restricted spatial and temporal expression profiles requiring a tight regulatory program during development. The rodent glycoprotein TAG-1 and its orthologs TAX-1 in the human and axonin-1 in chick are cell adhesion molecules belonging to the contactin/F3 subgroup of the IgSF. TAG-1 is expressed in restricted subsets of central and peripheral neurons, not only during development but also in adulthood, and is implicated in neurite outgrowth, axon guidance and fasciculation, as well as neuronal migration. In an attempt to identify the regulatory elements that guide the neuronal expression of TAG-1, we have isolated genomic clones containing 4 kb of the TAX-1 upstream sequence and used them to drive the expression of the LacZ reporter gene in transgenic mice. We demonstrate that this sequence includes elements not only sufficient to restrict expression to the nervous system, but also to recapitulate to a great extent the endogenous pattern of the TAG-1 expression in the developing CNS.
Denaxa
Myrto
M
Department of Basic Science, University of Crete Medical School and Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, PO Box 1527, Vassilika Vouton, Heraklion 711 10, Crete, Greece.
Pavlou
Ourania
O
Tsiotra
Panayoula
P
Papadopoulos
Georgios C
GC
Liapaki
Katerina
K
Theodorakis
Kostas
K
Papadaki
Chara
C
Karagogeos
Domna
D
Papamatheakis
Joseph
J
D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001483:Base Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000235:genetics; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal / Q000235:genetics*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D058969:Contactin 2; D005333:Fetus; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007763:Lac Operon / Q000235:genetics; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009420:Nervous System / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics*; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics
C548674:CNTN2 protein, human; D015816:Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal; C548675:Cntn2 protein, mouse; D058969:Contactin 2; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger