Sea urchin neural alpha 2 tubulin gene: isolation and promoter analysis

Expression of Tα2 gene, during sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus development, is spatially and temporally regulated. In order to characterize this gene, we isolated the relevant genomic sequences and scanned the isolated 5′-flanking region in searching for cis-regulatory elements required for proper expression. Gel mobility shift and footprinting assays, as well as reporter gene (CAT and β-gal) expression assays, were used to address cis-regulatory elements involved in regulation. Here we report that an upstream 5′-flanking fragment of PlTα2 gene drives temporal expression of reporter genes congruent with that of endogenous Tα2 gene. The fragment contains cis-elements able to bind nuclear proteins from the gastrula stage (at which the Tα2 gene is expressed) whose sequences could be consistent with the consensus sequences for transcription factors present in data bank.