Characterization of the murine endothelial nitric oxide synthase promoter

As our understanding of the contributory roles of NO in the blood vessel wa ll evolves, so does the need to firmly understand the basic principles gove rning the regulated expression of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eN OS) gene. Because a robust approach to dissecting the relative contribution of a given cardiovascular gene exploits the use of murine genetic models, P1 murine genomic clones were isolated, characterized and functionally asse ssed to gain further insight into the regulated expression of the eNOS gene in the mouse. Sequence analysis of 1.8 kb of 5' flanking regions revealed important regions of sequence conservation with human and bovine sequences. Functional promoter activity was confirmed using transient transfection an alysis of cultured endothelial cells. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All ri ghts reserved.