GAP-43 N-terminal translocation signal targets beta-galactosidase to developing axons in a pan-neuronal transgenic mouse line.

Tracing neural connectivity is important in understanding the intricacy of the nervous system as this represents the functional unit throughout the system. Here, we provide evidence that beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) linked to the N-terminal axonal translocation signal of GAP-43 provides a reproducible and versatile reporter system for analyzing the developing nervous system in vivo. When expressed by the GAP-43 promoter in transgenic mice, the fusion protein is detected equally within the developing axons of the peripheral and the central nervous systems, directly reflecting the promoter activity.