title: Transgenic mice engineered to target Cre/loxP-mediated DNA recombination into catecholaminergic neurons.
abstract: To introduce restricted DNA recombination events into catecholaminergic neurons using the Cre/loxP technology, we generated transgenic mice carrying the Cre recombinase gene driven by a 9 kb rat tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) promoter. Immunohistochemistry performed on transgenic mouse brain sections revealed a high number of cells expressing Cre in areas where TH is normally expressed, including the olfactory bulb, hypothalamic and midbrain dopaminergic neurons, and the locus coeruleus. Double immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence indicated that colocalization of TH and Cre is greater than 80%. Cre expression was also found in TH-positive amacrine neurons of the retina, chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla, and sympathetic ganglia. We crossbred TH-Cre mice with the floxed reporter strain Z/AP and observed efficient Cre-mediated recombination in all areas expressing TH, indicating that transgenic Cre is functional. Therefore, we have generated a valuable transgenic mouse strain to induce specific mutations of "floxed" genes in catecholaminergic neurons.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas and Departmento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Diego M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gelman
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Noaín
authors.forename: M Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Avale
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Otero
authors.forename: Malcolm J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Low
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rubinstein
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D018390:Gene Targeting; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D019076:Transgenes; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D014764:Viral Proteins; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase