TISSUE-SPECIFIC EXPRESSION OF THE HUMAN PYRUVATE-DEHYDROGENASE-ALPHA (PDHA-1) CHLORAMPHENICOL ACETYLTRANSFERASE FUSION GENE IN TRANSGENIC MICE

A chimeric gene (-763/+33Pdha-1/CAT) containing -763/+33 nucleotides o f the human pyruvate dehydrogenase gene (Pdha-1) and the structural ge ne of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) was used to generate tra nsgenic mice. CAT activity was detected predominantly in the brain fol lowed in decreasing order by adipose tissue, spleen, heart, kidney and liver. Developmental expression of CAT activity in the testes was sim ilar to that of the endogenous Pdha-1 subunit expression in the testes . Dietary regulation of the transgene was comparable to the expression of endogenous pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in kidney and adipose ti ssue. Thus, the -763/+33 bp segment of the human Pdha-1 gene is transc riptionally active in vivo and can direct the expression of CAT in sev eral tissues.