AAV with ELA1 promoter driven CreERT2

This AAV expresses CreERT2 driven by a pancreatic acinar ELA1 promoter.

Rat elastase 1 (Ela1; ELAI1; RATELAI1), also called chymotrypsin-like elastase family, member 1, is the major protease with elastin-degrading activity in the mammalian exocrine pancreas. The ELA1 promoter (0.3Kb) is comprised of the core promoter and enhancer, and directs transgene expression in pancreatic acinar cells, stomach, duodenum, and colon.

A mutated form of estrogen ligand-binding domain (ERT2) that binds to synthetic antagonists (such as tamoxifen or its derivative 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen) but not to circulating estrogen, was fused to the Cre recombinase (Cre) to create CreERT2 (also known as “inducible Cre”). When tamoxifen binds to CreERT2, it induces a conformational change of CreERT2, leading to its nuclear translocation, followed by Cre/Lox-mediated recombination.