Disease relevance of Upk2

• Mice with null mutation of another UP family member, UPII, are often born with congenital hydronephrosis [1].
• METHODS: UPII-SV40T transgenic mice reliably develop bladder tumors by expression of simian virus 40 large T antigen specifically in bladder urothelium through the use of the uroplakin II promoter [2].

High impact information on Upk2

• A comparison of the phenotypes of UPII- and UPIII-deficient mice yielded new insights into the mechanism of plaque formation and some fundamental features of urothelial differentiation [3].
• Using a 3.6-kb promoter of mouse uroplakin II gene, we have generated transgenic mice that express human growth hormone (hGH) in their bladder epithelium, resulting in its secretion into the urine at 100-500 ng/ml [4].
• Here we describe the cloning of mouse uroplakin II gene and demonstrate, in transgenic mouse experiments, that a 3.6-kb 5'-flanking sequence of this gene can drive a bacterial lacZ (reporter) gene to express in the suprabasal cell layers of the urothelium [5].
• Uroplakin II (UPII) gene expression is highly tissue and cell specific, with mRNA present in the suprabasal cell layers of the bladder and urethra [6].
• METHODS: Mutations were sought, using direct sequencing of the five UPII exons, in 42 children with diverse renal tract anomalies [1].

Biological context of Upk2

• Transgenic mouse studies showed that a 3.6 kb 5'-flanking sequence of mouse uroplakin II gene can drive the expression of bacterial LacZ gene to express in the urothelium [7].
• In this study, we report the cloning of porcine UPII genomic DNA, which contains a putative full-length open reading frame encoding the UPII protein [8].
• In particular, the expression plasmid DNA containing mouse uroplakin II promoter was used to direct uroepithelium-specific transcription of transgene [9].
• In particular, the expression plasmid DNA containing mouse uroplakin II promoter was used to direct the uroepithelium-specific transcription of the transgene [10].

Anatomical context of Upk2

• The urothelial origin of any surviving epithelial cells was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using uroplakin II-specific primers, and the expression of the cell cycle-related proteins, p16INK4 and p19ARF, was examined by semiquantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting [11].

Other interactions of Upk2

• This subpopulation of epitheloid cells expressed the mouse uroplakin II gene, indicating a urothelial phenotype, but did not express either the p16INKa or p19ARF proteins, whereas p21WAF1 null bladders express both proteins [11].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Upk2

• Cloning and molecular dissection of the 8.8 kb pig uroplakin II promoter using transgenic mice and RT4 cells [6].

References