Mouse reporter strain for noninvasive bioluminescent imaging of cells that have undergone Cre-mediated recombination.
Conditional alleles containing LoxP recombination sites, in conjunction with Cre recombinase delivered by a variety of means, allows for spatial and temporal control of gene expression in mouse models. Here we describe a mouse strain in which a luciferase (Luc) cDNA, preceded by a LoxP-stop-LoxP (L-S-L) cassette, was introduced into the ubiquitously expressed ROSA26 locus. Mouse embryo fibroblasts derived from this strain expressed luciferase after Cre-mediated recombination in vitro. ROSA26 L-S-L-Luc/+ mice expressed luciferase in a diffuse or liver-restricted pattern, as determined by noninvasive, bioluminescent imaging, when crossed to transgenic mice in which Cre was under the control of a zygotically expressed (EIIA-Cre), or a liver-restricted (albumin-Cre), promoter, respectively. Organ-specific luciferase expression was also seen after intraparenchymal administration of an adenovirus encoding Cre. The ROSA26 L-S-L-Luc/+ strain should be useful for characterizing Cre mouse strains and for following the fate of cells that have undergone Cre-mediated recombination in vivo.
Safran
Michal
M
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Kim
William Y
WY
Kung
Andrew L
AL
Horner
James W
JW
DePinho
Ron A
RA
Kaelin
William G
WG
D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000418:Albumins / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D005818:Genetic Engineering / Q000379:methods; D019426:Integrases / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D008099:Liver / Q000502:physiology; D008156:Luciferases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic / Q000235:genetics*; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D000418:Albumins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D008156:Luciferases; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases