DARPP-32 promoter directs transgene expression to renal thick ascending limb of loop of Henle.

DARPP-32, a dopamine- and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-regulated inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1, is highly colocalized with neuronal and nonneuronal D1-type receptors. DARPP-32 concentration is enriched in the renal outer medulla and in the medium-size spiny neurons of the brain. In the ascending limb of the loop of Henle, DARPP-32 is phosphorylated following stimulation by dopamine and other first messengers, and in this form inhibits the activity of the Na(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase pump. For functional analysis of the DARPP-32 promoter in the kidney, we characterized the murine gene. There are two groups of transcription start sites utilized in the brain, but the proximal set appears to be preferentially used in the kidney. In four of four lines of mice carrying a DARPP-32/lacZ transgene with 2.1 kb of 5'-flanking DNA, adult kidney lacZ transgene expression mimicked that of endogenous DARPP-32. There was no ectopic expression in peripheral organs. We conclude that the sequences necessary for direction of DARPP-32 expression to the medullary thick ascending limb are contained within this 2.1-kb fragment.