Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow Print PDF (290K) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Commercial Re-use Guidelines
for Open Access NAR Content
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Fuhrmann-Benzakein, E.
Right arrow Articles by Herrera, P. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Fuhrmann-Benzakein, E.
Right arrow Articles by Herrera, P. L.
Related Collections
Right arrow Recombinant DNA expression
Right arrow Recombination
Right arrow Miscellaneous/other
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Nucleic Acids Research, 2000, Vol. 28, No. 23 e99
© 2000 Oxford University Press

Inducible and irreversible control of gene expression using a single transgene

Edya Fuhrmann-Benzakein, Irène García-Gabay1, Michael S. Pepper, Jean-Dominique Vassalli and Pedro Luis Herrera*

Department of Morphology and 1Department of Pathology, University of Geneva Medical School, 1 Rue Michel-Servet, CH-1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland

Experimental or therapeutic designs involving the conditional expression of genes often require the use of two different transgenes; this can represent a major undertaking. One of these systems takes advantage of inducible recombinases. Here we show a novel use of such enzymes, in that an inducible recombinase-encoding sequence can function to both block the transcription of a gene placed downstream and, subsequently, irreversibly activate transcription of this very same gene. This double function, which circumvents the need for two transgenes, can be achieved by flanking the inducible recombinase gene by two of its target sequences. In our design we used as the inducible recombinase gene the Cre-ERT gene flanked by two loxP sites. This cassette was placed between a mouse phosphoglycerate kinase promoter and the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) coding sequence. Massive EGFP gene expression in BHK cells bearing this transgene was observed upon administration of 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT), the inducer of the recombinant activity of Cre-ERT. In the absence of 4-OHT EGFP production was prevented. Because of its simplicity (only a single transgene needs to be used) this strategy is of obvious interest in certain protocols of gene or cell therapy and in a variety of experimental designs in which conditional expression of genes is required.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +41 22 702 5225; Fax: +41 22 702 5260; Email: pedro.herrera@medecine.unige.ch


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Nucleic Acids ResHome page
S. J. Kaczmarczyk and J. E. Green
Induction of cre recombinase activity using modified androgen receptor ligand binding domains: a sensitive assay for ligand-receptor interactions
Nucleic Acids Res., August 1, 2003; 31(15): e86 - e86.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Nucleic Acids ResHome page
F. T. Wunderlich, H. Wildner, K. Rajewsky, and F. Edenhofer
New variants of inducible Cre recombinase: a novel mutant of Cre-PR fusion protein exhibits enhanced sensitivity and an expanded range of inducibility
Nucleic Acids Res., May 15, 2001; 29(10): e47 - e47.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.