Developmental Modulation of a beta myosin heavy chain promoter-driven transgene.

The molecular mechanisms underlying heart and skeletal muscle-specific gene expression during development and in response to physioloic stimuli are largely unknown. Using a novel immunohistochemical procedure to detect chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), we have investigated, in vivo at high resolution, the ability of cis-acting DNA sequences within the 5' flanking region of the mouse beta myosin heavy chain (MyHC) gene (beta-MyHC) to direct appropriate gene expression throughout development. A 5.6-kb fragment 5' to the beta-MyHC's transcriptional start site was linked to the reporter gene encoding CAT (cat) and used to generate transgenic mice. The anti-CAT in situ assay described in this report allowed us to define the ability of the promoter fragment to direct appropriate temporal, tissue- and muscle fiber type-specific gene expression throughout early development. In skeletal muscles, the transgene expression profile mimics the endogenous beta-myHC's at all developmental stages and is appropriately restricted to slow (type I) skeletal fibers in the adult. Surprisingly, transgene expression was detected in both the atria and ventricles during embryonic and fetal development, indicating that ventricular specification involves elements outside the 5.6-kb fragment. In contrast, in the adult, hypothyroid conditions led to transgene induction specifically in the ventricles, suggesting that distinct regulatory mechanisms control fetal versus adult beta-MyHC expression in the cardiac compartment.

Position independent expression and developmental regulation is directed by the beta myosin heavy chain gene's 5' upstream region in transgenic mice.

Transgenic mice generated with constructs containing 5.6 kb of the beta myosin heavy chain (MyHC) gene's 5' flanking region linked to the cat reporter gene express the transgene at high levels. In all 47 lines analyzed, tissue-specific accumulation of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase was found at levels proportional to the number of integrated transgene copies. Deletion constructs containing only 0.6 kb of 5' upstream region showed position effects in transgenic mice and did not demonstrate copy number dependence although transgene expression remained muscle-specific. The 5.6 kb 5' upstream region conferred appropriate developmental control of the transgene to the cardiac compartment and directs copy number dependent and position independent expression. Lines generated with a construct in which three proximal cis-acting elements were mutated showed reduced levels of transgene expression, but all maintained their position independence and copy number dependence, suggesting the presence of distinct regulatory mechanisms.

Segregation of cardiac and skeletal muscle-specific regulatory elements of the beta-myosin heavy chain gene.

The beta-myosin heavy chain (beta-MyHC) gene is expressed in cardiac and slow skeletal muscles. To examine the regulatory sequences that are required for the gene's expression in the two compartments in vivo, we analyzed the expression pattern of a transgene consisting of the beta-MyHC gene 5' upstream region linked to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. By using 5600 bp of 5' upstream region, the transgene was expressed at high levels in the slow skeletal muscles. Decreased levels of thyroid hormone led to the up-regulation of the transgene in both cardiac and skeletal muscles, mimicking the behavior of the endogenous beta-MyHC gene. After deleting the distal 5000 bp, the level of reporter gene expression was strongly reduced. However, decreased levels of thyroid hormone led to an 80-fold skeletal muscle-specific increase in transgene expression, even upon the ablation of a conserved cis-regulatory element termed MCAT, which under normal (euthyroid) conditions abolishes muscle-specific expression. In contrast, cardiac-specific induction was not detected with the deletion construct. These observations indicate that the cardiac and skeletal muscle regulatory elements can be functionally segregated on the beta-MyHC gene promoter.

In vivo regulation of the mouse beta myosin heavy chain gene.

The interactions of trans-acting factors with their respective cis-acting elements in the 5' upstream region of the beta myosin heavy chain gene (MyHC) regulate its tissue- and developmental stage-specific expression. The role of three conserved elements, an MCAT or TEF-1 binding site, a C-rich region, and a beta e3 region, in muscle-specific gene expression was analyzed in vivo. Each cis-acting site was ablated in the context of the beta MyHC promoter, fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene, and used to generate transgenic mice. In contrast to results obtained in vitro, the data demonstrate that mutating any one of these cis-acting elements does not affect the level or tissue specificity of transgene expression. Sequences upstream of -600 can functionally substitute for any one of these regulatory cassettes and are important both for high levels of expression as well as for controlled muscle specificity. Mutation of any two of the cis-acting elements also does not affect transgene expression. However, simultaneous mutation of the three sites significantly reduces expression, indicating that these conserved sequences do play an important role and that combinatorial interactions underlie the beta MyHC's regulation.

In vivo analysis of the murine beta-myosin heavy chain gene promoter.

The 5' upstream region of the murine beta-myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene has been isolated and tested for its ability to drive gene expression in transgenic mice. Three classes of transgenic mice were generated. The constructs contained approximately 5000, 2500, and 600 base pairs of beta-MHC upstream sequence fused to the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene and were termed beta 5, beta 2.5, and beta .6, respectively. Muscle-specific expression was observed with all three constructs. However, only the beta 5 lines directed high levels of muscle-specific transgene expression in both pre- and postbirth mice. Expression driven by the two shorter constructs was two to three orders of magnitude lower when the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase specific activities were compared. These data suggest that a distal-positive element directs high levels of gene expression in the ventricle and in slow skeletal muscles. Analyses of transgene expression during heart maturation revealed that some of the beta 5 lines were not able to respond in an appropriate manner to developmental transcriptional cues. Unlike the endogenous beta-MHC gene, which is down regulated in the ventricles around the time of birth, reporter gene expression in the majority of the lines generated was not shut off in the ventricles of the adult animals. These data indicate that high levels of muscle-specific beta-MHC gene expression are dependent upon the combinatorial interactions of a number of sequence elements that are distributed over a large region of the gene's upstream sequence.

Transgenic analysis of the thyroid-responsive elements in the alpha-cardiac myosin heavy chain gene promoter.

The role of two putative, cis-acting thyroid hormone-responsive elements, TRE1 and TRE2, located at -129 to -149 and -102 to -120, respectively, on the murine alpha-myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene, has been investigated in transgenic mice. These motifs are present in a 4.5-kilobase fragment lying upstream of the transcriptional start site of the mouse alpha-MHC gene: this fragment directs appropriate expression of a reporter gene in transgenic mice (Subramaniam, A., Jones, W. K., Gulick, J., Wert, S., Neumann, J., and Robbins, J. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 24613-24620). Here, we independently mutate the TRE1 and TRE2 elements by base substitution. The mice were analyzed for transgene expression in different muscle and non-muscle tissues including the atria and ventricles. Normal levels of transgene expression were observed in euthyroid mice carrying a mutation in TRE1. In contrast to these results, mice in which TRE2 was mutated showed reduced levels of CAT activity in both the atria and ventricles, suggesting a previously undefined role for this element in the constitutive up-regulation of the alpha-MHC gene. In hypothyroid mice carrying either of these mutations, the complete cessation of ventricular expression of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase transcripts that takes place in the alpha-5.5 (wild type) animals did not occur.