Cloning and characterization of the presenilin-2 gene promoter

K. R. Pennypacker, R. Fuldner, R. Xu, H. Hernandez, D. Dawbarn, N. Mehta, J. Perez-Tur, M. Baker, M. Hutton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

Mutations in the presenilin-2 (PS-2) have been shown to cause early onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a series of families known as the Volga Germans and in an unrelated Italian kindred. Expression of the PS-2 gene is regulated during AD, aging, development and brain injury. Although expressed primarily in neurons, enhanced levels of PS-2 have been reported in astrocytes activated by neuronal damage. Understanding the regulation of the PS-2 gene may thus provide an insight into its role in AD. We have isolated a 3635 bp DNA fragment that contains 2934 bp of DNA sequence upstream from the PS-2 gene. Primer extension analysis was used to map three major transcriptional start sites within the PS-2 gene. The promoter sequence, upstream of each transcriptional start site, does not contain TATA or CAAT boxes but does contain several GC rich sites (Sp-1 and AP-2). A reporter gene construct containing the PS-2 promoter (PS2P, -2934 to +702) transfected into M17 cells drives basal transcription to 20% of the levels of the SV-40 viral promoter. Addition of NGF to PC-12 cells was found to upregulate the PS2P promoter and an NGF-responsive element was localized by deletional analysis between -403 and +13 within the promoter. Since the PS-2 gene has multiple start sites and the upstream sequence is GC rich with no TATA box, the PS-2 promoter is consistent with the GC class of 'housekeeping' genes.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)57-65
Number of pages9
JournalMolecular Brain Research
Volume56
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1998

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The work in this report was supported by funds from the Mayo clinic foundation, by an NIA program project grant to M.H. (AG14633) and by a grant from the University of South Florida Institute on Aging (96-012) to K.R.P.

Keywords

  • Alzheimer's disease
  • Nerve growth factor
  • Presenilin
  • Promoter

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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