Cre-mediated recombination in the pituitary gland.
Organ-specific expression of a cre recombinase transgene allows for the analysis of gene function in a particular tissue or cell type. Using a 4.6 kb promoter from the mouse glycoprotein hormone alpha-subunit (alphaGSU or Cga) gene, we have generated and characterized a line of transgenic mice that express cre recombinase in the anterior and intermediate lobes of the pituitary gland. Utilizing a cre-responsive reporter transgene, alphaGSU-cre transgene expression was detected in the pituitary primordium and in all five cell types of the adult anterior pituitary. alphaGSU-cre transgene activity was also detected in the cardiac and skeletal muscle. Little or no activity was evident in the gonads, adrenal glands, brain, ventromedial hypothalamus, or kidneys. The alphaGSU-cre transgenic mice characterized here will be a valuable tool for examining gene function in the pituitary gland.
Cushman
L J
LJ
Department of Human Genetics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Burrows
H L
HL
Seasholtz
A F
AF
Lewandoski
M
M
Muzyczka
N
N
Camper
S A
SA
D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D015870:Gene Expression; D005838:Genotype; D015292:Glycoprotein Hormones, alpha Subunit / Q000235:genetics; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019426:Integrases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D019076:Transgenes; D014764:Viral Proteins
D015292:Glycoprotein Hormones, alpha Subunit; D014764:Viral Proteins; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases