In vivo analysis of the myosin heavy chain IIB promoter region.

The myosin heavy chain (MHC) IIB gene is preferentially expressed in fast-twitch muscles of the hindlimb, such as the tibialis anterior (TA). The molecular mechanism(s) for this preferential expression are unknown. The goals of the current study were 1) to determine whether the cloned region of the MHC IIB promoter contains the necessary cis-acting element(s) to drive fiber-type-specific expression of this gene in vivo, 2) to determine which region within the promoter is responsible for fiber-type-specific expression, and 3) to determine whether transcription off of the cloned region of the MHC IIB promoter accurately mimics endogenous gene expression in a muscle undergoing a fiber-type transition. To accomplish these goals, a 2.6-kilobase fragment of the promoter-enhancer region of the MHC IIB gene was cloned upstream of the firefly luciferase reporter gene and coinjected with pRL-cytomegalovirus (CMV) (CMV promoter driving the renilla luciferase reporter) into the TA and the slow soleus muscle. Firefly luciferase activity relative to renilla luciferase activity within the TA was 35-fold greater than within the soleus. Deletional analysis demonstrated that only the proximal 295 base pairs (pGL3IIB0.3) were required to maintain this muscle-fiber-type specificity. Reporter gene expression of pGL3IIB0.3 construct was significantly upregulated twofold in unweighted soleus muscles compared with normal soleus muscles. Thus the region within the proximal 295 base pairs of the MHC IIB gene contains at least one element that can drive fiber-type-specific expression of a reporter gene.