Molecular cloning of the rat inducible nitric oxide synthase gene promoter

The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is not constitutively expressed but is induced in many types of mammalian cells by cytokines and bacterial endotoxins. Previously, we have reported the most interesting feature of rat iNOS gene that is up-regulated by cyclic AMP at transcriptional level as demonstrated by nuclear run-on assay. We now have isolated and sequenced the rat iNOS gene promoter and determined the transcription start site. Moreover, we have constructed a rat iNOS promoter-chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) fusion gene and analyzed its inducibility by interleukin 1 beta and cyclic AMP in transiently transfected Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts.