Expression of the human glucokinase gene: important roles of the 5' flanking and intron 1 sequences.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Glucokinase plays important tissue-specific roles in human physiology, where it acts as a sensor of blood glucose levels in the pancreas, and a few other cells of the gut and brain, and as the rate-limiting step in glucose metabolism in the liver. Liver-specific expression is driven by one of the two tissue-specific promoters, and has an absolute requirement for insulin. The sequences that mediate regulation by insulin are incompletely understood.

Methodology/principal findings

To better understand the liver-specific expression of the human glucokinase gene we compared the structures of this gene from diverse mammals. Much of the sequence located between the 5' pancreatic beta-cell-specific and downstream liver-specific promoters of the glucokinase genes is compos

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3447760 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature