Human CYP11A1 promoter drives Cre recombinase expression in the brain in addition to adrenals and gonads.
The first step of steroid biosynthesis is catalyzed by cytochrome P450scc, encoded by CYP11A1. To achieve steroidogenic tissue-specific inactivation of genes in vivo by the Cre-loxP approach, we used the 4.4-kb regulatory region of the human CYP11A1 gene to drive Cre recombinase expression in the tissues that produce steroids. The resulting SCC-Cre mice express high levels of Cre in the adrenal cortex and gonads at the same sites as that for the endogenous CYP11A1 expression. In addition, Cre activity was found in the diencephalon and midbrain. In the developing brain, the Cre activity was first detected in the embryonic day 10.5. Our study is the first to show that the 4.4-kb CYP11A1 promoter is transcriptionally active in the brain in vivo.
Wu
Hsu-Shui
HS
Graduate Institute of Physiology, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Lin
Hui-Ting
HT
Wang
Chi-Kuang Leo
CK
Chiang
Yen-Feng
YF
Chu
Hsueh-Ping
HP
Hu
Meng-Chun
MC
D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002786:Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019426:Integrases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism*
D002786:Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases