The synapsins are a family of neuron-specific phosphoproteins that selectively bind to small
synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic nerve terminal. The human synapsin I gene was
functionally analyzed to identify control elements directing the neuron-specific expression of
synapsin I. By directly measuring the mRNA transcripts of a reporter gene, we demonstrate
that the proximal region of the synapsin I promoter is sufficient for directing neuron-specific
gene expression. This proximal region is highly conserved between mouse and human …