Cell depletion due to diphtheria toxin fragment A after Cre-mediated recombination.
Abnormal cell loss is the common cause of a large number of developmental and degenerative diseases. To model such diseases in transgenic animals, we have developed a line of mice that allows the efficient depletion of virtually any cell type in vivo following somatic Cre-mediated gene recombination. By introducing the diphtheria toxin fragment A (DT-A) gene as a conditional expression construct (floxed lacZ-DT-A) into the ubiquitously expressed ROSA26 locus, we produced a line of mice that would permit cell-specific activation of the toxin gene. Following Cre-mediated recombination under the control of cell-type-specific promoters, lacZ gene expression was efficiently replaced by de novo transcription of the Cre-recombined DT-A gene. We provide proof of this principle, initially for cells of the central nervous system (pyramidal neurons and oligodendrocytes), the immune system (B cells), and liver tissue (hepatocytes), that the conditional expression of DT-A is functional in vivo, resulting in the generation of novel degenerative disease models.
Zentrum für Molekulare Neurobiologie, Falkenried 94, 20251 Hamburg, Germany.
Damian
D
Brockschnieder
Corinna
C
Lappe-Siefke
Sandra
S
Goebbels
Michael R
MR
Boesl
Klaus-Armin
KA
Nave
Dieter
D
Riethmacher
D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D016923:Cell Death / Q000502:physiology*; D004167:Diphtheria Toxin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000502:physiology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D019426:Integrases / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D004167:Diphtheria Toxin; D019426:Integrases; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C110701:Neurod6 protein, mouse; C029795:diphtheria toxin fragment A