Introduction
GeneCopoeia provides the GLuc-ON™ ERSE transcriptional response element (TRE) clone for analysis of the response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress resulting from the unfolded protein response. The ER stress response element (ERSE) is activated by several transcription factors, namely ATF6, to induce genes that express proteins that clear the cell of misfolded and unfolded proteins. In cases of prolonged ER stress, the pathway induces apoptosis. Malfunction of the ER stress pathway leads to diseases such as Huntingtin’s disease and diabetes.
The GLuc-ON™ MEF2 ERSE clone contains tandem repeats of an ERSE binding site upstream of a minimal promoter and secreted Gaussia luciferase reporter gene, which allows robust and sensitive analysis without lysing the cells. The ERSE response elements are engineered to provide strong activation with low background (Figure 1). The GLuc-ON™ ERSE TRE clone is provided as transfection-ready DNA. Negative (non-activating), positive (constitutively-activted) and normalization (secreated alkaline phosphatase) control clones are also available for purchase.
Figure 1. Activation of the GLuc-ON™ ESRE TRE by treatment with thapsigargin. HEK293T cells were transfected with the GLuc-ON™ ESRE TRE clone or negative control clone. Transfected cells were incubated for 24 hours, then treated with different amounts of thapsigargin for 18 hours. Gaussia Luciferase assay was performed, and transcriptional response activity values are expressed as luminance fold activation.