Out-licensing

Elucidation of a Promoter of the Rat Tyrosine Hydroxylase Gene for Tissue Specific Gene Expression

Introduction/Background

Catecholamines, which include dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline, are major neurotransmitters in the central nervous system as well as in sympathetic neurons and the adrenal medulla. Tyrosine hydroxylase is the rate-limiting enzyme in the catecholamine neurotransmitter biosynthetic pathway. Catecholaminergic neurons are involved in many human diseases of the nervous system, including neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, and psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia.

Aims/Hypothesis

We aim to elucidate a promoter that drives tissue specific gene expression.

Research

A team of Weill Cornell inventors at the Burke Medical Research Institute discovered a 9 KB 5' region of upstream of the rat tyrosine hydroxylase gene that specifically and reliably drives expression only in catecholaminergic neurons.

Conclusion

We have elucidated a 9 kb 5' upstream promoter sequence of the rat tyrosine hydroxylase gene that directs high-level and tissue specific expression only to catecholaminergic neurons.

Relevance/Opportunity

The promoter may be used in transgenic systems to express genes of interest, including neurotrophic factors, such as such as BDNF, GDNF, TGF, etc, catecholamine transporters, such as the noradrenaline transporter and the dopamine transporter and presynaptic receptors, such as presynaptic dopamine and noradrenaline receptors. Please enquire quoting reference no. D-1749 regarding licensing or codevelopment partnerships.

Preclinical