title: Inducible gene knockouts in the small intestinal and colonic epithelium.
abstract: We have developed two systems for performing Cre-mediated recombination of target genes in the rapidly self-renewing mouse small intestinal and colonic epithelium. When expression of Cre recombinase is placed directly under the control of transcriptional regulatory elements from a fatty acid-binding protein gene (Fabp), deletion of loxP flanked (floxed) DNA sequences is initiated as early as embryonic day 13.5, well before completion of intestinal morphogenesis. By embryonic day 16.5, Fabp-Cre also directs recombination in all cell layers of the transitional epithelium that lines the renal calyces and pelvis, ureters, and bladder. Fabp-Cre expression and recombination are maintained in both epithelia throughout adulthood. The second system allows recombination to be induced only in the gut and at any period during adulthood. This system uses Fabp regulatory elements to direct expression of a reverse tetracycline-regulated transactivator (rtTA). Another transgene encodes Cre under the control of tet operator sequences and a minimal promoter from human cytomegalovirus (tetO-P(hCMV)-Cre). In the absence of a doxycycline inducer, no basal recombination is detectable in the gut of adult tri-transgenic mice containing Fabp-rtTA, tetO-P(hCMV)-Cre, plus a floxed reporter gene. After 4 days of oral administration of doxycycline, recombination of the reporter is apparent in the small intestinal, cecal, and colonic epithelium. After doxycycline is withdrawn, the recombined locus persists for at least 60 days, indicating that recombination has occurred in epithelial cell progenitors that have long residency times in the proliferative units of the intestine (crypts of Lieberkühn). This inducible system should have a number of applications for examining gene function at selected times in postnatal life, under selected physiologic or pathophysiologic conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Saam
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003106:Colon / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D018996:Myelin P2 Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D019459:Urothelium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014764:Viral Proteins
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; C107608:FABP7 protein, human; C082667:Fabp5 protein, mouse; C086936:Fabp7 protein, mouse; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D018996:Myelin P2 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D013006:Growth Hormone; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases