AAV with hRPE(0.8) promoter driven fLuc

This AAV expresses fLuc driven by a retina hRPE(0.8) promoter.

The RPE65 gene encodes a protein of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) with a key role in the cycling of retinoids. It was shown that a RPE promoter of about 0.8 Kb was sufficient to direct high RPE-specific expression in transgenic mice. The 1.5Kb version of the promoter hRPE(1.5), also gives RPE-specific expression, but the expression level is not as high as the 0.8Kb promoter. This is probably due to a negative regulatory element(s) present in the 1.5Kb promoter.

Firefly luciferase (fLuc) is an oxidative enzyme used in bioluminescence and is distinct from a photoprotein. In the luciferase reaction, light is emitted when luciferase acts on the appropriate luciferin substrate. Photon emission can be detected by a light-sensitive apparatus such as a luminometer or modified optical microscope. Firefly luciferase is commonly used as a reporter to assess the transcriptional activity in cells.