title: Synapsin I Cre transgene expression in male mice produces germline recombination in progeny.
abstract: The cre/LoxP system can produce conditional loss of gene function in specific cell types such as neurons. A transgenic mouse line, utilized by multiple studies, used the Synapsin I promoter to drive expression of cre (SynCre) to achieve neuronal-specific cre expression. Herein we describe that cre expression can also be observed in SynCre mice within the testes after being bred into a floxed transgenic mouse line. Cre transcript was expressed in testes resulting in recombination of the floxed substrate in testes. In the majority of cases, progeny of male SynCre mice inherited a germline recombined floxed allele, while this was never observed in progeny from female mice carrying the SynCre allele. This observation should alert investigators to a potential confound using these mice and enables male germ cell "deletor" strategies.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rempe
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vangeison
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jepson
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Federoff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D005854:Germ Cells; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D016704:Synapsins / Q000235:genetics*; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism; D019076:Transgenes
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D016704:Synapsins; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases