CREB-related Assays (cyclic-AMP)

luciferase reporter constructs validated for cyclic-AMP

The LightSwitch™ Validated CREB Pathway Collection is a comprehensive set of sequence-verified, transfection-ready, promoter reporter constructs that can be used to accurately quantify transcriptional activation and repression in response to induction of the cyclic-AMP pathway. These constructs are a subset of the 18,000-member LightSwitch Promoter Reporter GoClone® Collection that were selected based on sequence motif analysis, published information and in-house analysis of each promoter's activity* using our LightSwitch Luciferase Assay.

The CREB Biomarker Set contains 8 of the highest responding promoters under our chosen test conditions, as well as the promoters of 2 housekeeping genes (Figure 1). The CREB Profiling Plate contains 88 promoter reporter constructs that showed significant activation or repression in response to induction (See the CREB Profiling Plate tab below for data and a list of constructs).

Figure 1: Induction ratios for each member of the CREB Biomarker Set.
HeLa human cervical cancer cells were transfected with the promoter reporter constructs shown, then treated with 100 nM PKA or vehicle only. After 4 hours, each sample was assayed using the LightSwitch Luciferase Assay Kit. The graph shows the ratio of treated/untreated signal on a log scale; error bars represent one standard deviation. Please see the heatmap under the Profiling Plate tab below for relative promoter activities under untreated conditions.

*Experimental results and the absolute values of luciferase units may vary depending on cell line, treatment and protocols. All data shown is solely for use as a guide for selecting candidate promoters and panels for your particular experimental design.

 
Name Format Cat No. Price  
LightSwitch™ CREB Biomarker Set 1 set 32082 ¥648,000 Buy

CREB Pathway

The CREB (cAMP responsive element binding protein) signaling pathway regulates a variety of biological processes including cell survival and proliferation, glucose regulation, neuronal differentiation, and long-term memory formation. The CREB transcription factor family – CREB, CRE-modulatory protein (CREM) and activating transcription factor 1 (ATF-1) activate transcription by binding to CREs in the promoter regions of target genes. CREB responds to a number of stimuli including various important signal transduction cascades. The richness of CREB signaling illustrates its significance as a key regulator of the expression of a multitude of physiologically important genes.

Applications

The collection of validated LightSwitch CREB-related promoter reporters enables you to:

  • Understand the mechanisms by which CREB regulated genes are induced or repressed
  • Quantify the functional consequences of transcription factor binding – while many other technologies give a qualitative view of transcription factor level, our promoter reporter assays quantify the effects of transcription factor binding
  • Confirm data from ChIP, ChIP-chip or ChIP-Seq experiments
  • Measure the effect of sequence variants and mutagenesis on promoter function
  • Screen for promoter activation or develop activity profiles across the CREB signaling pathway for many compounds or conditions in parallel

LightSwitch Luciferase Assay System

The LightSwitch Luciferase Assay System is a complete solution for studying transcriptional & post-transcriptional gene regulation in living mammalian cells. It enables you to directly measure the functional activity of promoters and 3´UTRs through use of an engineered luciferase gene (RenSP) and optimized assay & transfection reagents that ensure superior, reproducible results. In addition to Validated Pathway Collections, the LightSwitch System includes collections of over 30,000 cloned human promoter reporter constructs and human 3´UTR reporter constructs, miRNA mimics and inhibitors, as well as collections of synthetic long-range response element constructs and synthetic 3´UTRs target validation constructs that can provide more sensitivity than endogenous sequences.

LightSwitch Promoter Reporter Assays.
To study a promoter's regulation, it is cloned into a LightSwitch Reporter vector upstream of the RenSP luciferase gene and then transfected into mammalian cells. The cells are stimulated, if required, to induce transcription of RenSP luciferase from the cloned promoter. Promoter activity is then quantified using a LightSwitch Luciferase Assay Kit and a luminometer to measure the amount of luminescence produced.

Advantages of the LightSwitch Luciferase Assay System

  • Quantitative – Novel RenSP luciferase technology allows you to measure promoter activity with industry-leading sensitivity and dynamic range.
  • Simple, fast, complete solution – With pre-cloned LightSwitch Reporter vectors and optimized transfection & assay reagents, you can study regulation of your gene today. No cloning, DNA preparation or optimization is needed, and most studies do not require any internal transfection controls.
  • Comprehensive and verified – The genome-wide LightSwitch Reporter Collections are sequence-verified, transfection-ready promoter and 3´UTR reporter vectors.
  • Functionally insightful – Learn about the actual effects of transcription factor binding to verify computational predictions and supplement microarray or sequencing data.
  • Cost-effective – Efficiently screen for activation and/or repression using a multitude of conditions.

LightSwitch™ CREB / cyclic-AMP Pathway Profiling Plate

The CREB Profiling Plate is a subset of promoter reporter constructs chosen from the LightSwitch Promoter Reporter GoClone® Collection. Promoters that were expected to be up- or down-regulated in the CREB / cAMP pathway were chosen based on motif analysis and published information. In-house luciferase testing was then performed to select those promoter reporter constructs that were activated or repressed in response to our induction methods, which were to treat HeLa cells with 100 nM PKA or with 40 µM forskolin for 4 hours following transfection.

CREB Profiling Plate heatmap

The heatmap at right shows the untreated and induced activity for all constructs that are members of the pathway profiling plate. On the right side of the figure, the colors represent log2 transformed ratios of treated/untreated activity according to the color scale shown at the base of the heatmap. Black indicates no change; the intensity of red or blue color indicates levels of induction or repression, respectively. On the left side of the figure, the intensity of yellow color depicts the activity of each promoter in the unstimulated (untreated) condition. All untreated signals are relative to the highest and lowest values within the individual experiment. (“PMA” = HeLa human cervical cancer cells treated with 100 nM PMA for 4 hours; “FSK” = HeLa human cervical cancer cells treated with 40 µM forskolin for 4 hours.)

CREB Profiling Plate contents

The CREB Profiling Plate includes 88 promoter reporter constructs (including the 8 top-responding constructs that comprise the CREB Biomarker Set, as well as 7 housekeeping / random promoters that are unlikely to respond to cAMP induction conditions). The controls can be used to correct for non-specific changes in overall signal in response to the stimulus. For example, some compounds used for induction are very toxic and result in a significant decrease in overall luciferase signal across the entire panel of constructs in a non-promoter-specific manner. Also included in the plate are 8 transfection controls that are used to determine the conditions that yield maximum transfection efficiency and reproducibility.

View plate map (.xlsx).

Ordering

If you would like to order 5 or fewer members of the CREB Profiling Plate, you can use the Product IDs found in the file for the plate map above to order directly on Active Motif's SwitchGear Genomics website. If you wish to order the entire plate (or a minimum of 5 or more members), click here to send us an e-mail detailing which constructs you would like, and what amount (5 µg, 10 µg, 1 mg, etc.). We will send you a quote based on your request.

Heatmap data showing the untreated activity and induction response for each construct in the CREB Pathway Profiling Plate using HeLa human cervical cancer cells treated with 100 nM PMA for 4 hours or with 40 uM forskolin for 4 hours
Click image to enlarge.

The CREB Biomarker Set contains 5 µg aliquots each of 8 promoter reporter constructs and 2 housekeeping promoter constructs (ACTB & DNAJB9) for use as controls. Click on the links below for clone information.

 
The CREB Profiling Plate includes 88 promoter reporter constructs and 8 transfection control constructs (4 constructs from housekeeping genes with promoter activities of varying strengths (P1-P4), and 4 constructs with random 1 kb fragments (R1-R4)). To download a plate map with links to clone information, please click here.