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
”
TLDR The study showed that a specific DNA sequence can control gene expression in hair growth areas of mice.
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.
