High level, tissue-specific expression of a modified calcitonin/calcitoningene-related peptide promoter in a human medullary thyroid carcinoma cell line

The efficient and high level expression of therapeutic genes in target cell s is critical for effective gene therapy. We have developed a novel promote r by utilizing tandem repeats of a tissue-specific regulatory element from the calcitonin/calcitonin gene-related peptide (CT/CGRP) gene placed in clo se proximity to a basal promoter, thereby removing interstitial sequences. This promoter drives expression of reporter genes at much higher levels tha n the natural promoter while significantly improving specificity in thyroid C cells. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.