Three unique control DNA sequences of the glial fibrillary acidic (gfa) protein gene have been identified upstream of its basal promoter that are capable of the regulating astrocytespecific transcription of the human gene for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). One or more of those three regions alone or together with the SV40 early promoter and SV40 enhancer control expression of endogenous or heterologous proteins in astrocytes. Transgenic animals expressing amyloid protein can be prepared and used as a model for evaluating Alzheimer's disease. Many heterologous proteins can be expressed in the astrocytes so as to take advantage of the growing list of astrocyte functions. Such proteins include hormones, growth factors, and their receptors, proteins encoded by oncogenes, ion channels, and metabolic enzymes, or their inhibitors like a dominant dysfunctional protein, an antisense RNA, or a ribozyme.
ASTROCYTE-SPECIFIC TRANSCRIPTION OF HUMAN GENES