A conserved MRF4 promoter drives transgenic expression in Xenopus embryonic somites and adult muscle.

ABSTRACT: The muscle regulatory factor MRF4 is expressed in both embryonic and adult vertebrate skeletal muscle cells. In mammals the MRF4 gene has a complex cis-regulatory structure, with many kilobases (kb) of upstream sequence required for embryonic expression in transgenic mice. Here, initial functional comparison between Xenopus and mammalian MRF4 genes revealed that 610 base pairs (bp) of the XMRF4a proximal promoter drove substantial transgenic expression in X. laevis myogenic cells, from somites of neurula embryos through adult myofibers, and as little as 180 bp gave detectable expression. Over 300 bp of XMRF4a proximal promoter sequence is highly conserved among three X. laevis and X. tropicalis MRF4 genes, but only about 150 bp shows significant identity to mammalian MRF4 genes. This most-

SUBMITTER: Hinterberger TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4035245 | biostudies-literature | 2010

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature