ZEBRAFISH HuC PROMOTER CAPABLE OF DIRECTING NEURON-SPECIFIC EXPRESSION OF STRUCTURAL GENES, TRANSGENIC ANIMAL HAVING HuC PROMOTER AND ITS GENERATION, AND METHOD FOR SCREENING NEURONAL MUTANT ANIMALS USING THE TRANSGENIC ANIMAL

摘要

The present invention relates to a zebrafish HuC promoter with its 5'-flanking region which directs the neuron-specific expression of structural genes, a transgenic animal that shows the neuron-specific expression of GFP (green fluorescence protein) under the regulation of the HuC promoter, and a method for screening neurogenesis mutants in zebrafish by use of the transgenic animal. The HuC promoter with its 5'-flanking region can be used in the study of the regulatory mechanism responsible for the differentiation of the nervous system. Additionally, the HuCP-GFP transgenic zebrafish enables the direct identification of neurogenesis and axonogenesis, as well as being a valuable tool for isolating and analyzing neurogenesis mutants in live zebrafish with ease.