Expression of rat bone sialoprotein promoter in transgenic mice

Bone sialoprotein (BSP) is a major protein of the mineralized bone extracellular matrix that has been implicated in the nucleation of hydroxyapatite crystals. Our previous studies have demonstrated that BSP mRNA is expressed by differentiated osteoblasts, odontoblasts, and cementoblasts involved in de novo mineralized tissue formation in a tissue-specific and developmentally regulated manner. To determine the basis of the selective expression of the BSP gene, we have generated four transgenic mouse lines in which 2.7 kb of the rat BSP promoter ligated to a luciferase reporter gene has been stably integrated into the mouse genome. Assays of luciferase activities in 5-day-old animals has revealed consistently high levels in bone tissues with negligible activities in various other organs including kidney, liver, stomach, intestine, and spleen. In some animals, variable expression was observed in brain and skin. Temporal analyses revealed the highest luciferase expression in neonatal bones, with expression decreasing markedly with subsequent growth and development, as observed previously for the endogenous gene in rats. Immunohistochemical analysis of luciferase activity and in situ hybridization of luciferase mRNA in bone tissues show that differentiated osteoblasts express the highest levels of luciferase, consistent with the induction of endogenous gene expression. These studies demonstrate that the regulation of the BSP gene during osteoblastic differentiation, together with its tissue-specific, developmentally regulated expression, is primarily mediated within the 2.7 kb region of the promoter.