Conditional gene knockout system in cone photoreceptors.
To study function of widely expressed essential genes, we established a conditional knockout system for cone photoreceptor cells. Our goal is to generate a useful genetic system that can be utilized to disrupt gene function efficiently in cone photoreceptor cells. Functional assay using a Cre-activatable lacZ reporter gene suggested that HRGP-cre mice had widely expressed functional Cre in cone photoreceptors. Since nearly all cone photoreceptor cells express Cre in our transgenic mice, they will be efficient in carrying out Cre-mediated gene activation and inactivation in both M- and S-cone photoreceptors. In addition, we have not observed any apparent ectopic expression in HRGP-cre mice (Le et al., 2004); thus, conditional knockout of essential genes with these mice is not likely to cause any detrimental effect in non-ocular tissues.
Le
Yun-Zheng
YZ
Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, USA.
Ash
John D
JD
Al-Ubaidi
Muayyad R
MR
Chen
Ying
Y
Ma
Jian-Xing
JX
Anderson
Robert E
RE
D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000378:metabolism; D004596:Electroretinography / Q000379:methods; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D005821:Genetic Techniques; D006801:Humans; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors; D019076:Transgenes
C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases