Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.1.21 (thymidine kinase)
 7,561 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Mammalian intermolecular recombination vectors that place the recombination junction within the intron of a selectable marker gene are presented. Many of the previously reported recombination assays require that recombination occur homologously and that they occur within the coding region of the selectable marker. This vector system involves the use of a human thymidine kinase (tk) minigene and measures the recombination frequency between any chosen DNA sequences, in mammalian thymidine kinase negative cells. The tk minigene is divided into a 5' vector and a 3' vector. In the 5' vector, the DNA sequence of interest is inserted in the proximal portion of tk intron 2. In the 3' vector, the DNA sequence of interest is inserted in the intron sequence between the proteolipid protein exon 2 and tk exons 3-7. Recombination through the DNA sequences of interest, either homologous or illegitimate, will reconstruct a functional tk minigene. The recombination junction is spliced out of the transcribed mRNA and thymidine kinase positive cells can be selected in hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine medium. We have tested these vectors to measure the recombination potential of two Alu repetitive sequences (BLUR 8 and BLUR 11) against a control DNA sequence. BLUR 8 and BLUR 11 do not seem to recombine at a significantly higher frequency over that of the control DNA sequence. These recombination vectors display similar sensitivity to previous recombination systems, but allow tremendous flexibility in the choice of potentially recombinogenic sequences.
 ...
PMID:An in vivo assay for measuring the recombination potential between DNA sequences in mammalian cells. 144 63

We have previously demonstrated that retrovirus-mediated genes were transferred to mouse glioma cells in a meningeal gliomatosis model (Yamada et al.: Japanese Journal of Cancer Research 83:1244-1247, 1992). This retrovirus vector contains the Escherichia coli. beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) gene as a marker for integration of the lacZ gene, which is controlled by the SV40 early promoter. We investigated whether lacZ genes could be specifically controlled in mouse glioma cells by glial-specific promoters, including the 2.5 kb 5' flanking region of the mouse glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene, the 1.3 kb 5' flanking region of the myelin basic protein (MBP) gene, and the 1.5 kb 5' flanking region of the myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) gene. Psi-2 packaging cells were transfected with each retrovirus vector (GFAP promoter-, MBP promoter-, and PLP promoter-lacZ) and the infectious virus particles were recovered from the supernatants. Blue staining for beta-gal was detected in various fibroblast, myeloma, and glioma cell lines transduced with the retrovirus BAG vector. On the other hand, blue staining was only detected in glioma cells after transduction with the lacZ gene-bearing retrovirus controlled by glial-specific promoters. The strongest promoter activity was detected after transduction with the retrovirus in which the MBP promoter controlled the lacZ gene. Mouse glioma cells transduced with retrovirus containing the MBP promoter directing the herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HTK) gene were extremely sensitive to ganciclovir, while the parental cells and cells transduced with retrovirus containing the lacZ gene were not sensitive to ganciclovir.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 ...
PMID:Selective expression of foreign genes in glioma cells: use of the mouse myelin basic protein gene promoter to direct toxic gene expression. 750 43

We have searched for suitable promoters to regulate the expression of suicide genes for use in gene therapy. We have shown that the 1.3-kb fragment of the mouse myelin basic protein (MBP) promoter region initiates transcription in mouse glioma cells more efficiently than glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) or myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) promoter. Among three different lengths of the MBP promoter, the shortest (256-bp) core promoter region initiates transcription as efficiently as 650-bp or 1.3-kb MBP promoter lengths in RSV-M glioma cells. To assess the suitability of the MBP promoter for use in clinical trials of malignant glioma gene therapy, we also had to show that it (the 1.3-kb length in this case) is effective in human glioma cells, as well as in murine glioma cells. The activity of the MBP promoter is much higher than that of GFAP or PLP promoter in most human glioma cells, suggesting that the MBP promoter would be best for directing toxic gene expression in gene therapy for patients with malignant glioma. Human glioma cells in which the MBP promoter was strongly active were sensitive to ganciclovir when they were transduced with MBP promoter/herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene-bearing retroviruses. In conclusion, retrovirus-targeted gene therapy for malignant glioma using this MBP promoter is a promising candidate for clinical trials.
 ...
PMID:Usefulness of a mouse myelin basic protein promoter for gene therapy of malignant glioma: myelin basic protein promoter is strongly active in human malignant glioma cells. 931 Jan 41

To identify putative sequences that direct cell type-specific expression and/or enhance proteolipid protein (PLP) gene expression, glial or nonglial cells were transfected with various PLP-luciferase constructs that collectively span the entire mouse PLP-specific DNA present in a transgene known to direct cell type specificity in transgenic mice. These constructs were transfected into murine oligodendrocyte cell lines that transcribe the PLP gene and, hence, should contain the requisite trans-acting factors necessary for PLP gene expression. Mouse NIH/3T3 fibroblasts were used as a nonglial model. We have finely mapped the PLP promoter region for transcriptional regulatory elements and demonstrate both positive and negative elements, none of which appear to extinguish expression in nonglial cells. The 5'-flanking PLP DNA tested did not enhance the basal herpes simplex-1 virus thymidine kinase (TK) promoter, nor did PLP sequences present in the distal half of intron 1. The 5' portion of intron 1 did enhance TK promoter activity, suggesting that this region of the gene may contain enhancer elements that modulate PLP gene expression; however, the enhancement did not appear to be cell type-specific. Intriguingly, a 541 bp region of the intron that significantly enhanced TK promoter activity contains multiple JC virus repeated elements and other elements known to be important in restricting the virus to oligodendrocytes. These results suggest that intron 1 sequences may modulate expression of the PLP gene.
 ...
PMID:Regulation of murine myelin proteolipid protein gene expression. 945 6

Expression of 18 genes was examined at 8 different time points between 1 h and 28 days following cryogenic rat brain injury. The genes include thymidine kinase (TK), p53 tumor suppressor, c-fos, renin, myelin basic protein (MBP), proteolipid protein (PLP), transferrin, transferrin receptor, platelet-derived growth factor A (PDGF A), platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF B), platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGF alpha receptor), platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGF beta receptor), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), fibroblast growth factor receptor-1 (FGF-R1), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and somatostatin. Time courses of gene expression were determined for RNAs derived from hippocampus and cortex. Genes were divided into categories based upon those in which statistically significant changes in expression were first observed at or before 24 h (early genes) and those in which changes were first observed at or after 72 h (late genes). In the present model, many genes demonstrate elevated RNA levels in the cortex prior to hippocampus, following injury. RNAs transcribed from late genes tend to be elevated concurrently in cortex and hippocampus.
 ...
PMID:Temporal changes in gene expression following cryogenic rat brain injury. 964 55

Concurrent changes in expression of eight genes were examined following cryogenic rat brain injury. Cortical RNA levels were catalogued at time 0, and at 1 h and 1 week following injury. The genes include thymidine kinase (TK), c-fos, renin, myelin basic protein (MBP), proteolipid protein (PLP), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and somatostatin. All demonstrate increased expression following injury. Renin and c-fos exhibit detectable changes as early as 1 h post-injury.
 ...
PMID:Simultaneous analysis of multiple gene expression patterns as a function of development, injury or senescence. 976 74

The myelin proteolipid protein (Plp) gene is expressed in oligodendrocytes and encodes the most abundant protein (approximately 50%) present in mature myelin from the central nervous system (CNS). Plp gene activity is low to nonexistent early in development but sharply increases, concurrently with the active myelination period of CNS development. Work from our laboratory suggests that the temporal regulation of Plp gene expression in mice is mediated by a positive regulatory element located within Plp intron 1 DNA. We have termed this regulatory element/region ASE (for antisilencer/enhancer). The ASE is situated approximately 1 kb downstream of exon 1 DNA and encompasses nearly 100 bp. To understand the mechanisms by which the ASE augments Plp gene expression in oligodendrocytes, Plp-lacZ constructs were generated and transfected into a mouse oligodendroglial cell line (N20.1). Results presented here demonstrate that upstream regulatory elements in the Plp promoter/5'-flanking DNA are not required for ASE activity; the ASE worked perfectly well when the thymidine kinase (TK) promoter was substituted for the Plp promoter. However, the relative location of the ASE appears to be important. When placed upstream of 2.4 kb of Plp 5'-flanking DNA, or downstream of the lacZ expression cassette, the ASE was no longer effective. Thus, the ASE might have to be in the context of the intron in order to function. To begin to identify the crucial nucleotides within the ASE, orthologous sequences from rat, human, cow, and pig Plp genes were swapped for the mouse sequence. Results presented here demonstrate that the orthologous sequence from rat can substitute for the mouse ASE, unlike those from human, cow, or pig.
 ...
PMID:Characterization of an intronic enhancer that regulates myelin proteolipid protein (Plp) gene expression in oligodendrocytes. 1615 35