title: A global double-fluorescent Cre reporter mouse.
abstract: The Cre/loxP system has been used extensively for conditional mutagenesis in mice. Reporters of Cre activity are important for defining the spatial and temporal extent of Cre-mediated recombination. Here we describe mT/mG, a double-fluorescent Cre reporter mouse that expresses membrane-targeted tandem dimer Tomato (mT) prior to Cre-mediated excision and membrane-targeted green fluorescent protein (mG) after excision. We show that reporter expression is nearly ubiquitous, allowing visualization of fluorescent markers in live and fixed samples of all tissues examined. We further demonstrate that mG labeling is Cre-dependent, complementary to mT at single cell resolution, and distinguishable by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Both membrane-targeted markers outline cell morphology, highlight membrane structures, and permit visualization of fine cellular processes. In addition to serving as a global Cre reporter, the mT/mG mouse may also be used as a tool for lineage tracing, transplantation studies, and analysis of cell morphology in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Mandar Deepak
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Muzumdar
authors.forename: Bosiljka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tasic
authors.forename: Kazunari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyamichi
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Liqun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018390:Gene Targeting / Q000379:methods*; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008954:Models, Biological; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences / Q000235:genetics; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; C045073:Cre recombinase; D019426:Integrases