title: An amylase/Cre transgene marks the whole endoderm but the primordia of liver and ventral pancreas.
abstract: Mice bearing a Cre-encoding transgene driven by a compound [SV40 small t antigen/mousealpha-amylase-2] promoter expressed the recombinase at early developmental stages broadly in the embryonic endoderm before the pancreas and lungs begin to outgrow, but not in other germ layers, as determined indirectly by beta-galactosidase and YFP reporter activity, indicating that the transgene is in fact an endodermic marker. Interestingly, the liver and ventral pancreas were excluded from this expression pattern, denoting that the chimerical alpha-amylase-2 promoter was not active in the anterior leading edge of the endoderm (the presumptive region from which liver and ventral pancreas form). These transgenics thus confirm, among other findings, that dorsal and ventral pancreatic primordia have different intrinsic transcriptional capabilities. In conclusion, we have generated a new transgenic mouse that should be useful to target endoderm at early stages, without affecting the liver or ventral pancreas before embryonic day E12.5.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kockel
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Strom
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delacour
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Népote
authors.forename: Otto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hagenbüchle
authors.forename: Peter K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Wellauer
authors.forename: Pedro L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Herrera
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming / Q000235:genetics; D019070:Cell Lineage; D004703:Endocrine System / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D004707:Endoderm / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics*; D008099:Liver / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic / Q000196:embryology*; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010179:Pancreas / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics; D019076:Transgenes; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000952:Antigens, Polyomavirus Transforming; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C100746:Zhx1 protein, mouse; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases; D000516:alpha-Amylases