Beta-hcg promoter based tumor restrictive gene expression for cancer theraphy

摘要

The present invention relates to promoters, enhancers and other regulatory elements that direct expression within tumor cells, comprising nucleotide sequences from the 5′ regulatory region, and transcriptionally active fragments thereof, that control expression of a testicular carcinoma related protein, &bgr;-HCG. Specifically provided are expression vectors, host cells and transgenic animals wherein an &bgr;-HCG regulatory region is capable of controlling expression of a heterologous gene, over-expressing an endogenous gene or an inhibitor of a pathological process or knocking out expression of a specific gene believed to be important in cancer development and/or progression. The invention also relates to methods for using said vectors, cells and animals for screening candidate molecules for agonists and antagonists of cancer development and/or progression. The invention further relates to compositions and methods for modulating expression of compounds within tumor cells, and to screening compounds that modulate expression within tumor cells. Methods for using the molecules and compounds identified by the screening assays for therapeutic treatments also are provided.