title: Generation of an Frs2alpha conditional null allele.
abstract: The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling family controls a broad spectrum of cellular processes in development and adult tissue homeostasis and function, which is expressed in almost all tissues at all stages. FGF receptor substrate 2 alpha (FRS2alpha) is an adaptor protein that recruits downstream substrates to the FGF receptor (FGFR) tyrosine kinase. Disruption of Frs2alpha gene in mice abrogates activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway by the FGFR and leads to embryonic lethality at day E7.5 post copulation. To circumvent the embryonic lethality resulting from disruption of the Frs2alpha gene, which hinders further characterization of the role of FRS2alpha in adult tissue function and homeostasis, we generated an Frs2alpha conditional null allele for temporally- and tissue-specific disruption of the Frs2alpha gene. Using gene targeting in mouse embryonic stem cells, we introduced two loxP sites flanking the largest coding exon, exon 5, in the Frs2alpha allele. Our results indicate that the floxed Frs2alpha (Frs2alpha(flox)) allele is a true conditional null allele that encodes wildtype activity and is converted to a null allele after Cre recombinase mediated recombination.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cancer and Stem Cell Biology, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Houston, Texas 77030-3303, USA.
authors.forename: Yongshun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Jue
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yongyou
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Fen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018390:Gene Targeting / Q000379:methods*; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic
chemical_list: C488187:FRS2alpha protein, mouse; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases