title: BAC transgenic mice reveal distal cis-regulatory elements governing BDNF gene expression.
abstract: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a member of the neurotrophin family of neurotrophic factors, has important functions in the peripheral and central nervous system of vertebrates. We have generated bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenic mice harboring 207 kb of the rat BDNF (rBDNF) locus containing the gene, 13 kb of genomic sequences upstream of BDNF exon I, and 144 kb downstream of protein encoding exon IX, in which protein coding region was replaced with the lacZ reporter gene. This BDNF-BAC drove transgene expression in the brain, heart, and lung, recapitulating endogenous BDNF expression to a larger extent than shorter rat BDNF transgenes employed previously. Moreover, kainic acid induced the expression of the transgenic BDNF mRNA in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus through preferential activation of promoters I and IV, thus recapitulating neuronal activity-dependent transcription of the endogenous BDNF gene.
authors.forename: Indrek
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Koppel
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aid-Pavlidis
authors.forename: Kaur
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jaanson
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sepp
authors.forename: Kaia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Palm
authors.forename: Tõnis
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Timmusk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D022202:Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009928:Organ Specificity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D007608:Kainic Acid