• Changyu Zheng and Bruce J Baum.
• Molecular Physiology and Therapeutics Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH, DHHS, Bethesda, MD 20892-1190.
• Int J Med Sci. 2014 Jan 1; 11 (5): 404-8.

AbstractThe promoter is a major element in the expression cassette of gene therapy vectors. Optimal promoter selection can enhance target specificity and gene expression. Recently, we evaluated three different human elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1α) promoters. The three promoters were put into the same expression vector, pAC-luc, driving expression of the luciferase cDNA. The activity from one EF1α promoter (termed EF1α -3), obtained in a commercial vector, was markedly lower when tested in vitro (from 50 - 500 x) in four cell lines and in vivo in rat submandibular glands (~250 x). Sequence differences in the EF1α -3 promoter likely account for the activity differences seen. Investigators need to recognize that all promoters of the same name may not be equivalent in driving transgene expression.

18 keywords...

hide…