IDENTIFICATION OF A TAU-PROMOTER REGION MEDIATING TISSUE-SPECIFIC-REGULATED EXPRESSION IN PC12 CELLS

Tau, a microtubule-associated protein, is encoded by a single gene, th e expression of which is neuron-specific and developmentally regulated . When PC12 cells are exposed to nerve growth factor (NGF), they diffe rentiate to sympathetic-like neurons. This differentiation process is accompanied by an elevation of tau proteins and mRNA. Here, we describ e, for the first time, the isolation and characterization of a tau pro moter region. We show that the promoter of tau is G + C-rich, lacks a genuine TATA box and thus promotes multiple initiation sites of RNA tr anscription. Our results demonstrate that a region of approximately 33 5 base-pairs residing immediately upstream of tau exon -1 are able to direct positive control of neuron-specific activity of the luciferase reporter gene. The isolation of tau promoter will facilitate further s tudies of the regulation of tau expression during development and agin g of neuronal cells. (C) 1996 Academic Press Limited