Myeloid-specific gene expression

The mononuclear phagocytes are recruited from bone marrow precursors to most tissues of the body, particularly during inflammation or immune stimulation. This combination of accessibility as stem cells and heterogenity of tissue locations makes the myeloid cell potentially important as a carrier of therapeutic agents. Understanding the regulation of transcription in myeloid cells is necessary for any future design of tissue-specific gene targeting vectors, particularly if there are inherent size limitations. Identified members of the C/EBP, Runt/PEBP2/CBF, and Ets families of transcription factors are critical for myeloid-specific gene expression and may have myeloid-restricted expression or myeloid-specific regulation in the hematopoietic system. AP-1, Sp1, and Myb appear to be important for myeloid-restricted expression in some cases. In addition, factors involved in the up-regulation of the level of gene expression when macrophages are activated by agents such as interferon-gamma and bacterial products have been identified. Some of the sequences to which these transcription factors bind in myeloid-restricted genes have been tested in cell lines and in transgenic mice and it is now possible to make an attempt to describe the characteristics of a myeloid-specific promoter.