MELANOMA DIFFERENTIATION ASSOCIATED GENE - 7 PROMOTER AND USES THEREOF

摘要

The present invention provides for an isolated Mda-7 promoter capable of directing transcription of a heterologous coding sequence positioned downstream therefrom, wherein the promoter is selected from the group consisting of: (a) a promoter comprising the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:1; (b) a promoter comprising a nucleotide sequence functionally equivalent to the nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 1; and (c) a promoter comprising a nucleotide sequence that hybridizes to a sequence complementary to the promoter of (a) or (b) in a Southern hybridization reaction performed under stringent conditions. The invention provides for a host cell comprising the recombinant expression construct as described herein. The invention provides for a method for expressing foreign DNA in a host cell comprising: introducing into the host cell a gene transfer vector comprising an Mda-7 promoter nucleotide sequence operably linked to a foreign DNA encoding a desired polypeptide or RNA, wherein said foreign DNA is expressed. The invention further provides for a method for treating cancer in a subject suffering therefrom which comprises administering to the subject an effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition which comprises a recombinant expression construct comprising: (a) a nucleic acid molecule that encodes a selected polypeptide; and (b) an Mda-7 promoter nucleotide sequence operably linked to the nucleic acid molecule of element (a), wherein the coding sequence will be transcribed and translated when in a host cell to produce the selected polypeptide, and the Mda-7 promoter is heterologous to the coding sequence and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.