Cellular promoters incorporated into the adenovirus genome: cell specificity of albumin and immunoglobulin expression.

Recombinant adenoviruses were constructed in which the viral E1A gene was deleted and the E1B promoter was replaced by the rat albumin, mouse beta-major globin, or mouse immunoglobulin heavy-chain promoter. After infection of human or rat hepatoma cells, E1B-containing mRNAs could be detected only from the virus containing the albumin promoter. Conversely, only the immunoglobulin promoter was active in virus-infected myeloma cells. However, in hepatoma cells transcription from the albumin promoter in the virus was much less than that of the endogenous cellular albumin gene or of other viral genes. In primary mouse hepatocytes endogenous albumin gene transcription was high immediately after plating but declined within 24 h. Expression of the albumin promoter in the virus paralleled that of the cellular albumin gene. From these results it appears that cell-specific expression of albumin depends on the presence of tissue-specific trans-acting factors, but the presence of such factors does not suffice for a maximal rate of transcription, a conclusion that requires direct comparison within a differentiated cell of a newly introduced and preexisting active cell gene.