Physiol. Genomics 35: 243-253, 2008.
First published September 9, 2008; doi:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00017.2008
1094-8341/08 $8.00
Received 22 January 2008;
accepted in final form 5 September 2008.
Physiological Genomics 35:243-253 (2008)
1094-8341/08 $8.00 © 2008 American Physiological Society
In vivo analysis of key elements within the renin regulatory region
Sean T. Glenn1,
Craig A. Jones1,
Li Pan2 and
Kenneth W. Gross1
1 Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York
2 Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Renin is responsible for initiating the enzymatic cascade that results in the production of angiotensin II, the major effector molecule of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). Extensive information on the regulatory region of the renin gene has been derived by transient transfection studies in vitro, particularly using the As4.1 cell line. To verify key factors within the regulatory region of renin in vivo, homologous recombination was used to introduce a green fluorescent protein (GFP) cassette into exon one of the renin gene contained within a 240 kb bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) to create a construct that has GFP expression controlled by the renin regulatory region (RenGFP BAC). Within the regulatory region of the RenGFP BAC construct we independently deleted the enhancer, as well as mutated the HOX-PBX site within the proximal promoter element. Transgenic lines were generated for each of these BAC constructs and GFP expression was analyzed throughout a spectrum of tissues positive for renin expression including the kidney, adrenal gland, gonadal artery, and submandibular gland. The results described within this manuscript support the interpretation that the renin enhancer is critical for regulating baseline expression where as the Hox/Pbx site is important for the tissue specificity of renin expression.
hox; enhancer; bacterial artificial chromosome; green fluorescent protein; transgenic mice
Copyright © 2008 by the American Physiological Society.