title: Inducible Cre recombinase activity in mouse cerebellar granule cell precursors and inner ear hair cells.
abstract: A transgenic mouse line expressing the CreER(TM) fusion protein under the control of the Math1 enhancer was generated. Expression of the transgene in the postnatal mouse was restricted to hair cells of the inner ear and granule neurons in the external granule layer of the cerebellum in a temporally regulated manner. Cre activity was virtually nonexistent in uninduced mice; however, treatment of newborn pups with tamoxifen, leading to nuclear translocation of the fusion protein, resulted in efficient recombination at LoxP sites in the appropriate cell types. Up to two thirds of cerebellar granule neurons and 80-90% of cochlear hair cells underwent Cre-specific recombination. This mouse line provides a powerful tool to dissect gene function at early and late stages in development of the cerebellum and inner ear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Neurobiology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Lionel M L
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corbett
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zuo
authors.forename: Suzanne J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic; D006199:Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner / Q000201:enzymology*; D019426:Integrases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D023421:Models, Animal; D019076:Transgenes / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D019426:Integrases; C500943:Atoh1 protein, mouse; C045073:Cre recombinase