Hair-Specific Expression of Chloramphenicol Acetyltransferase in Transgenic Mice Under the Control of an Ultra-High-Sulfur Keratin Promoter
September 1990
in “
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
”
Studysummary This study found that a 671-base pair promoter sequence from the ultra-high-sulfur keratin gene is sufficient to direct tissue-specific and development-specific expression of a reporter gene during hair growth in transgenic mice.
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The study generated a transgenic mouse line using a chimeric DNA fragment containing a hair-specific, murine ultra-high-sulfur keratin promoter fused to the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene. The 671-base pair promoter region successfully directed CAT gene expression specifically in skin with growing hair, isolated hair follicles, and vibrissae, aligning with the expression pattern of the endogenous keratin gene. The expression was observed during the anagen phase of the hair growth cycle, indicating that the promoter sequence was sufficient for development-specific and tissue-specific expression. This research was significant for understanding gene regulation during hair organogenesis.
