An intronic enhancer containing an N-box motif is required for synapse- and tissue-specific expression of the acetylcholinesterase gene in skeletal muscle fibers.

ABSTRACT: mRNAs encoding acetylcholinesterase (AChE; EC 3.1.1.7) are highly concentrated within the postsynaptic sarcoplasm of adult skeletal muscle fibers, where their expression is markedly influenced by nerve-evoked electrical activity and trophic factors. To determine whether transcriptional regulatory mechanisms account for the synaptic accumulation of AChE transcripts at the mammalian neuromuscular synapse, we cloned a 5.3-kb DNA fragment that contained the 5' regulatory region of the rat AChE gene and generated several constructs in which AChE promoter fragments were placed upstream of the reporter gene lacZ and a nuclear localization signal (nls). Using a recently described transient expression assay system in intact skeletal muscle, we show that this AChE promoter fragment directs the synap

SUBMITTER: Chan RY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC16383 | biostudies-literature | 1999 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature