Promoter competition assay for analyzing gene regulation in joint tissue engineering

We describe a new biochemical technique, "promoter competition assay," for examining the role of cis-acting DNA elements in tissue cultures. Recent advances in tissue engineering permit the culture of a variety of cells. Many tissues are engineered, however, without an appropriate understanding of molecular machinery that regulates gene expression and cellular growth. For elucidating the role of cis-acting regulatory elements in cellular differentiation and growth, we developed the promoter competition assay. This assay uses a transient transfer into cells of double-stranded DNA fragments consisting of cis-acting regulatory elements. The transferred DNA fragments act as a competitor and titrate the function of their genomic counterparts. Using synovial cells derived from a rheumatoid arthritis patient, we examined a role of NF-kappa B binding sites in the regulation of the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) genes. The results support a stimulatory role of NF-kappa B in transcriptional regulation of MMP-1 and MMP-13.