title: Spatiotemporal gene control by the Cre-ERT2 system in melanocytes.
abstract: The organ-specific and temporal control of gene activation/inactivation is a key issue in the understanding of protein function during normal and pathological development and during oncogenesis. We generated transgenic mice bearing a tamoxifen-dependent Cre recombinase (Tyr::Cre-ERT2) gene expressed under the control of a 6.1 kb murine tyrosinase promoter in order to facilitate targeted spatiotemporally controlled somatic recombination in melanoblasts/melanocytes. Cre-ERT2 production was detected in tissues containing melanocytes. After tamoxifen induction at various times during embryogenesis and adulthood in a Cre-responsive reporter mouse strain, genetic recombination was detected in the melanoblasts and melanocytes of the skin. Thus, the Tyr::Cre-ERT2 transgenic mice provides a valuable tool for following this cell lineage and for investigating gene function in melanocyte development and transformation.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Genetics of Melanocytes, UMR 146 CNRS-Institut Curie, Centre Universitaire, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yajima
authors.forename: Elodie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Belloir
authors.forename: Yveline
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bourgeois
authors.forename: Mayuko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kumasaka
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Delmas
authors.forename: Lionel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Larue
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D019426:Integrases / Q000502:physiology*; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000494:pharmacology; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D013629:Tamoxifen; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases; D001616:beta-Galactosidase