FUNCTIONAL-ANALYSIS OF THE MOUSE MYELIN OLIGODENDROCYTE GLYCOPROTEIN GENE PROMOTER IN THE OLIGODENDROGLIAL CG4 CELL-LINE/

Myelin/oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) is a late phylogenetic acqui sition among vertebrates that is found only in mammals. MOG is a minor component of myelin protein, representing similar to 0.01-0.05% of th e total. Regulatory elements in the MOG gene were identified by transf ecting the oligodendroglial CG4 cell line with chimeric MOG-luciferase genes. Only a few hundred base pairs upstream of the coding sequence were necessary for high-level activity of the mouse MOG promoter. More distal recognition sites may exist, because silencing activity, indic ative of negative regulatory elements, was detected upstream of base p air 657. Transcriptional activity of chimeric MOG- and myelin basic pr otein-luciferase genes was greater in CG4 cells than in 3T3 fibroblast s or C6 glioblastoma, demonstrating their superiority for functional a nalysis of myelin gene regulatory elements.