AAV with CamKII(0.4) promoter driven fLuc

This AAV expresses fLuc driven by a neuron CamKII(0.4) promoter.

This 0.4 Kb promoter is derived from murine α-Calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII), a gene with expression restricted to excitatory neurons in the neocortex and hippocampus. It was shown that the promoter activity of CaMKII(0.4) is almost identical to that of CaMKII(1.3) in cortical neurons, Compared to CaMKII(1.3), this short promoter allows cloning of longer gene of interest into the AAV construct .

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.